Prince William and Kate Middleton’s ‘Normal Life’ Is Ending as ‘Duty’ Starts to ‘Take Over’ — Expert
“Normal life” is over for Prince William and Kate Middleton. Sure, they try to bring some semblance of normalcy to their children’s lives. But for the Prince and Princess of Wales, any “normal” existence is largely behind them, according to a royal expert.
There are ‘fewer royals to go round’ as ‘duty’ starts ‘to take over’ for William and Kate
Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September 2022 marked the end of an era for the British royal family. Although things had already been changing in the years prior to the monarch’s death.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back as senior “working” royals and relocated to Montecito, California, in 2020. Additionally, Prince Andrew retreated from public life as a working royal after a disastrous 2019 interview.
Now with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as well as the Duke of York no longer working royals and Queen Elizabeth dead, “duty is beginning to take over” as there are “fewer royals to go round,” Jennie Bond, a royal expert, told OK! Magazine.
With the late monarch’s death came a new sovereign, William’s father King Charles III, and new titles. The pair went from being the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to the Prince and Princess of Wales. And while the work didn’t change, the make-up of the working royals did.
As it stands, there are 10 senior working royals to help support the Crown, King Charles, and Queen Camilla. The king’s sister Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Tim Laurence, are among them. As are Prince Richard, Birgitte the Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, and Princess Alexandra.
William, Kate, the king’s brother Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie, round out the list of working royals as the only ones under the age of 70.
William and Kate had their most ‘normal’ lives years ago
Long gone are the days when William and Kate’s lives were at their most “normal.” According to Bond, the couple’s lives were as ordinary, as royalty goes, when they lived out of the spotlight. Namely in Wales and the English countryside.
“Their time living in Anglesey, Wales was precious,” the former BBC royal correspondent said. “As was their time in Norfolk when William was a helicopter pilot. Life was then as normal as life as a member of the royal family could ever be.”
William and Kate lived in Wales from 2011 to 2013, during which time they got married and became parents. As for living in Norfolk, England, the couple called Anmer Hall, their country home, their primary residence from 2013 to 2017.
“Although the Queen [Elizabeth II] was a strong believer in tradition, and so is Charles, I think both recognised [sic] that their childhoods were not ideal,” Bond added. “Or at least they didn’t have the benefit of the modern, hands-on way of parenting.”
William and Kate try to make life ‘normal’ for Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis
While the “normal” elements of their own lives slowly dwindle, the Prince and Princess of Wales also work to maintain some semblance of normalcy for their children.
“I have heard that Kate has been very good at both accepting the way the system works, but also slightly subversively modifying it,” Tomm Quinn, the author of Gilded Youth, a book about growing up royal, told Daily Beast.
Kate “insisted that William was involved in bedtime, reading to the kids and bathing them, and they split the school run,” Quinn continued. “She doesn’t like the press attention on the children but having not suffered it herself as a child she has a less emotional attitude.”
“She believes she can control it in such a way that they will not be damaged by it,” the author explained. “And to be fair, it has worked — the paparazzi don’t hang around the school gates anymore. They are allowed some freedom.”
George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, as well as William, reportedly do chores. Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales slowly introduce their kids to royal duties and big family events such as Trooping the Colour.
