Prince William and Kate Middleton Aren’t Repeating Princess Diana’s ‘Biggest Parenting Regret’
Prince William and Kate Middleton are learning from the past. The Prince and Princess of Wales are avoiding Princess Diana’s “biggest parenting regret” by making sure their main focus is their children. They put being with Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, first. But it’s not without consequences in another major area of their lives: royal duties.
Diana regretted being away from Prince William and Prince Harry so much for work
There’s no denying Diana’s love for her sons, William and Prince Harry, but there were things she wanted to do differently as a parent. Speaking to OK! Magazine, royal author Duncan Larcombe discussed the late royal’s “biggest parenting regret,” work winning out over spending time with William and the now-Duke of Sussex.
“Diana was very hands-on with the boys,” he said (via Express). “But there were large chunks of time she had to be away due to work.”
“William was also often paraded on royal tours and outings,” the author added. “And his childhood was by no means perfect. That was one of Diana’s big regrets.”
William and Kate put George, Charlotte, and Louis ahead of their royal duties in an effort to avoid Diana’s regret
Larcombe continued, saying William’s long hoped to apply his late mother’s ways of parenting with his own kids.
“William has always wanted to raise his children with Diana’s lessons and regrets in mind. His children’s needs come before royal duty,” the author said.
He went on to say Kate shares the same desire, not wanting to have the same regret as a royal parent herself. She also has her own parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, to reference.
“Kate is a hands-on mother by nature,” Larcombe said. “She follows Diana’s lead but also the influence of the Middletons. With Kate, she takes royal duty seriously. But she will drop everything for her children, and that has been an agreed term between her and William throughout.”
A recent example came in October 2023 when it was announced Kate wouldn’t be accompanying William to the Earthshot Prize Awards in Singapore. She opted to stay home to support George during exam week, which overlapped with the November 2023 ceremony.
Kate is also believed to be willing to go head-to-head with King Charles III, her father-in-law, about George, Charlotte, and Louis’s schooling. Furthermore, just like Diana did with William and Harry, William and Kate do school drop-off.
The parents of three also take great care to keep George, Charlotte, and Louis largely out of the public eye, save for a few appearances annually.
Prioritizing their kids means William and Kate are busier on trips
Part of avoiding Diana’s biggest regret when it comes to parenting has the Prince and Princess of Wales getting the most out of trips. Meaning, that their royal tours are expected to be busier — and shorter — than before.
The reason is that William and Kate don’t want to be away from George, Charlotte, and Louis for an extended period of time. So no more weeks or even months-long tours without the kids. Instead, William and Kate are tapped to take short tours, say two or three days, and pack their schedules.
