When Kate Middleton married into the royal family, she entered into a world filled with rules. There are dress codes, behavior protocols, and traditions that stretch back hundreds of years. It would be intimidating for anyone, but Kate's done a great job of adhering to the important policies while also creating some of her own. When it comes to her kids, the princess isn't afraid to make new traditions and break some of the older royal traditions.
Parenting was a whole different ball game in Queen Elizabeth's time, and even when Prince William and Prince Harry were boys (although Princess Diana did plenty of rule-breaking herself). But in these modern times, Kate isn't going to let anything dictate the way she wants to raise her kids โ not even these ancient protocols and traditions.
Sending George to day school
Traditionally, royal children have been educated at boarding school. Prince William and Prince Harry both went to Eton, for example. Kate changed that long-standing practice when she decided to send Prince George to a local day school where he gets to come home at the end of lessons each day. Thomas' Battersea isn't a school attended by any previous royals, but it seems to be doing Prince George just fine.
Charlotte goes to school with her brother
Not only were royal children usually shipped off to boarding school in the past, but they were done so by gender. Princess Anne went to Benenden School for girls, while her brothers Charles, Andrew, and Edward attended Gordonstoun boarding school in Scotland. But Charlotte actually goes to her brother's school, which is co-ed. This is another major way Kate has broken royal tradition.
Kate takes her children's official portraits
Instead of having her little ones sit for a renowned photographer or painter, Kate herself takes her family's official photos from birthday portraits of her children to the annual Christmas card. It's led to some pretty remarkable shots (like Louis finger painting) because the kids are obviously more comfortable with their mom than they would be a strange photographer.
She plays with her kids
In the past, royals have always presented themselves as very business first, so we wouldn't really ever catch the Queen running around with a young Prince Charles. By contrast, Kate is much more hands-on, and can even be seen chasing after her children โ in a dress and heels no less! The British motto may be to "keep calm and carry on," but Kate likes to have a bit of fun too.
Letting her sons wear pants
According to Reader's Digest, it's been a royal tradition for boys to wear shorts and knee socks until they're about 8 years old and then they graduate to full trousers. Both Prince George and Prince Louis frequently wear shorts, but they've both been spotted in trousers as well. George is almost 7, so he's close to the pants age. But Louis is just 2 and he's already been seen wearing full-length pants. Seems like Kate doesn't strictly adhere to all recommended royal dressing rules.
Letting George meet President Obama
Although George will be king some day, royal tradition usually calls for royal kids to be a little older when meeting foreign leaders. But the rules were bent for young George who met the then-president in his bathrobe, no less. Obama later joked that George's meeting attire was "a slap in the face [and] a clear breach of protocol." It probably was, but it was adorable, so who cares?
Not relying on a nanny
Kate does have a trusted nanny to help out, but she still prefers to do as much parenting as she can. The princess is often seen running errands and she drops her kids off at school as well. She's pretty busy with her royal events, but she always makes time to be mom when she's able to.
Living outisde London
Although Kate and her family do reside in Kensington Palace for portions of the year, they also have a retreat outside of London as well. Amner Hall in Norfolk is where they spend school breaks, holidays, and weekends in the country. Kate seems to recognize that her kids will need a break from the pressures of royal life, so she's created a safe haven for them in the countryside away from bustling London. All of the royals travel, but it's usually expected that they'll mostly reside in London. Kate and Will have shaken that tradition up.
Disciplining in public
Children are never going to be perfect all the time, and Kate hasn't been afraid to dole out some discipline, even while the cameras are watching. Child-rearing choices used to be regarded as a private matter by the royal family, but Kate's shown her parenting style in public through good and bad times.
Being affectionate in public
Just like it would be unusual to see the queen discipline her children in public, it was equally unusual to see her or Prince Phillip express outward affection for their kids. It was a different time, and many parents weren't hugging or kissing their kids all the time. But things have definitely changed, and the old "children should be seen and not heard" royal tradition just doesn't work for Kate. She wants to show her love and allow them to show it back.
Giving birth in a hospital
Believe it or not, the tradition of royals giving birth at the hospital is relatively new. Before Kate did it, only Princess Diana had. Previously, royal moms gave birth at home in Buckingham Palace. Princess Di was the first to buck that tradition, and Kate carried on with the rule-breaking.
Post-birth experience
Speaking of public, the princess has also been open about her post-birth appearances outside the hospital with her children, mere hours after delivering them. We've always thought the occasion looked a little challenging (wearing heels and being photographed by hundreds of people right after going into labor? No thanks) and we were right. In a podcast appearance, Kate called the experience, "slightly terrifying," especially when she was a new mom with George. "Iโm not going to lie," she added with a laugh.
Nope, we can always count on the Duchess of Cambridge to be honest about her feelings, even when royals haven't traditionally done so in the past.
Skipping Christmas
Many people made a big to-do out of the fact that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle skipped Christmas with the queen last year to spend it with Archie and Meghan's mom, but Kate did it first. Back in 2016, the princess and her family enjoyed the holiday with Kate's side of the family instead of with the queen at Sandringham.
Traveling as a family
There's actually a royal rule about too many heirs to the throne traveling together, in case something happens to their car or plane. But Kate and Will broke that one super early on, when they brought Prince George on their plane to Australia. And they've been breaking it ever since.
Shortening trips
Kate usually likes to bring her kids with her for overseas tours, but when she can't, then she just keeps the trips as short as possible to minimize time away from the children. She reportedly requested that her recent Pakistan tour with Prince William be limited to just a week. By contrast, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip once left toddlers Charles and Anne home for six months while conducting royal duties.
Opening Christmas presents
Apparently, the royal tradition has long been to open gifts on Christmas Eve, but Kate let it slip recently that George and Charlotte wake up early on Christmas morning to open their presents. It seems she's raising her kids with a more modern Christmas day than William grew up with.
Celebrating Halloween
Christmas isn't the only holiday that's been Kate-ified. Her royal kids also celebrate Halloween, and the spooky holiday isn't really compliant with the royal code of conduct, which prioritizes sophistication. Still, Kate has shopped for Halloween costumes for her kiddos and let them carve pumpkins for the big day.
Making birthday cakes
Instead of relying on a professional baker to do the kids' cakes for their birthday, Kate makes them herself. It's unusual for a royal to do their own cooking, but this mom gets a lot of joy out of creating her children's special desserts. "It's become a bit of a tradition that I stay up 'til midnight with ridiculous amounts of cake mix and icing and I make far too much. But I love it," the princess has said.
We love that she's breaking tradition by starting her own.
Independent kids
There are a lot of extra safety concerns when it comes to raising royal children, but Kate has never let her children's royal status get in the way of them getting to be independent as well. She's been seen at polo matches letting them run around and play on their own like kids should, and she doesn't hover too much.
Raising them the way she was raised
Kate grew up as a regular kid, and even though her children are famous, she tries her best to give them the same down-to-earth childhood she got. She once attributed her parenting style in part to her grandma. "I had an amazing granny who devoted a lot of time to us โ playing with us, doing arts and crafts, and going to the greenhouse to do gardening, and cooking with us โ and I try and incorporate a lot of the experiences that she gave us at the time into the experiences that I give my children now."
