How William and Kate take after Princess Diana with their parenting, royal expert says

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Prince George of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales, Prince Louis of Wales and Catharine, Princess of Wales attend the Easter Mattins Service at Windsor Castle on April 9, 2023 in Windsor, England.
(Image credit: Photo by WPA Pool / Getty)

Much has been made about Prince William and Princess Kate's style of parenting.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are often seen to be great parents, who help their children lead happy and healthy lives.

And for royal expert Jennie Bond, who knew Princess Diana, the Waleses have taken a leaf out of the late royal's book — to say the least.

"I think they’ve done brilliantly with all their children," Jennie told OK!. "It makes me think of some of my conversations with William’s mother, Diana."

Explaining what she meant by this, the expert added: "I remember her telling me that she was adamant that she would give them work days and play days.

"On work days, William and Harry knew that they had to be like royal princes, and they had to dress like a prince and behave like a prince and be on show like a prince — but on play days, they could put on their jeans and baseball caps and go and eat a burger and drive a go-kart crazily around a track."

She continued: "Diana thought deep down that it was really important to give them that balance. I think that William and Catherine have done the same with their children. Particularly with George. He has been gradually exposed to the banks of cameras and the publicity and I think they have struck a very good balance with it."

Jennie made these comments following the royal children's appearance at the recent Easter Sunday service at St. George's Chapel in Windsor. That day marked four-year-old Prince Louis' first public appearance at Easter, but for the expert, it was Prince George, 9, who truly stood out — thanks in part to Kate's excellent parenting skills.

"On Easter Sunday, we saw what looked like a pretty confident young man — I suppose we could almost call him now," Jennie said. "I think we saw the evolution of a competent young prince. I hope so, because it’s a tough role he’s got — privileged, but tough."

George, of course, is second in line to the throne: He will succeed his father Prince William, who himself will succeed King Charles.

Iris Goldsztajn
Iris Goldsztajn is a celebrity and royal news writer for Marie Claire. As a London-based freelance journalist, she writes about wellness, relationships, pop culture, beauty and more for the likes of InStyle, Women's Health, Bustle, Stylist and Red. Aside from her quasi-personal investment in celebs' comings and goings, Iris is especially interested in debunking diet culture and destigmatising mental health struggles. Previously, she was the associate editor for Her Campus, where she oversaw the style and beauty news sections, as well as producing gift guides, personal essays and celebrity interviews. There, she worked remotely from Los Angeles, after returning from a three-month stint as an editorial intern for Cosmopolitan.com in New York. As an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles, she interned at goop and C California Style and served as Her Campus' national style and LGBTQ+ editor. Iris was born and raised in France by a French father and an English mother. Her Spotify Wrapped is riddled with country music and One Direction, and she can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.