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    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Princess Kate Tried to "Push Back" on One Aspect of Palace Life That "Scarred Generations of Royals," Per Royal Biographer

    The Princess of Wales reportedly refused to sacrifice one thing.

    Amy Mackelden's avatar
    By Amy Mackelden
    Published 21 June 2026 In News

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    Kate Middleton wears a red coat with a black turtleneck sweater and a yellow daffodil on her lapel, she has long brown hair
    (Image credit: Getty Images/Max Mumby/Indigo)
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    Although Princess Kate and Prince William will one day take on the roles of Queen and King, they're both perfectly capable of setting healthy boundaries. According to one royal expert, the Princess of Wales has always questioned certain aspects of palace life, as she wants a different existence for her children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

    In the new book Divide and Rule: Royal Women and Their Battles, royal author Catherine Mayer provides insight into Princess Kate's early days within the Royal Family.

    "[Princess Kate and Prince William] lived on the Welsh island of Anglesey while William served as a search-and-rescue pilot for the Royal Air Force, then relocated to the 10-bedroom Anmer Hall in Norfolk so he could take up a post at the East Anglian Air Ambulance service," Mayer explains. "Their idyll, however, was drawing to a close in more ways than one."

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    Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince Louis of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales and Prince George of Wales travel by carriage duringTrooping The Colour 2026 on June 13, 2026 in London, England

    Princess Kate reportedly "pushed back" on one aspect of palace life.

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Divide and Rule

    Catherine Mayer
    'Divide and Rule'
    $28
    SHOP NOW

    Mayer continues, "Soon, William would be called upon to stop playacting at being a regular person and embrace his destiny as a full-time royal. Even then, he and Kate would push back, maintaining a schedule designed to give their children something closer to Middletonian nurturing than the haphazard upbringing that scarred generations of royals."

    Princess Kate wearing a bright yellow dress and a matching hat for Royal Ascot Day 2 in 2026, while Prince William wears a traditional suit with a top hat

    "[William] and Kate would push back, maintaining a schedule designed to give their children something closer to Middletonian nurturing."

    (Image credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

    It seems that Princess Kate was unprepared to give up any semblance of control when it came to raising her children. Since then, much has been written about Kate and William's approach to family life. In fact, the Prince and Princess of Wales appear to have nurtured an incredibly close family unit, leaving some royal traditions—such as one day living in Buckingham Palace—in the past for the sake of their family.

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    Weekend Editor

    Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.

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