Prince William and Kate Middleton are prioritising 'family time' over royal engagements but it's creating some 'tension' within The Firm

Prince William and Kate Middleton are 'fiercely protective of their family time' and prioritise spending time with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis over attending royal engagements in a move that's causing 'tension' in The Firm.

• Prince William and Kate Middleton are causing some 'tension' within The Firm and the government as they announce they will not be 'upping their workload' but instead prioritising 'family time.'
• The couple are reportedly 'very keen to do things their own way' and will 'not necessarily follow the traditional template set down by the King' when it comes to carrying out royal engagements. 
• In other royal news, Kate Middleton’s ‘radical new way of parenting’ has taught Prince William ‘how to be a different kind of parent’.

Like many working parents, Prince William and Kate Middleton are constantly having to balance out their workload with 'family time,' ensuring they prioritise spending time with their three young children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis amidst all their royal responsibilities.

The couple may already get to spend a good amount of time with their kids, most recently taking them off on an epic family skiing holiday and enjoying an exciting day out at Lapland UK, but any parent will understand the desire to protect family time and ensure as much of it as possible. 

Now the couple, who have long been just as devoted to parenting as they are to their royal roles, have made the decision to ensure ‘quality not quantity’ in royal engagements to allow them to spend more time as a family. However, the move has reportedly caused some 'tension' both within The Firm and the government's Foreign Office.

Speaking with The Telegraph, associate editor Gorden Rayner shared, “The Waleses can feel rightly pleased with their thoroughly modern approach to appealing to the masses, but there could yet be tension between them and the King over some of the more traditional ways of representing the Royal Family.

“The Prince and Princess are fiercely protective of their family time, driving their children to school every day and minimising the amount of time they spend apart from them. Kensington Palace talks of ‘quality not quantity’ in royal engagements, suggesting the couple will not be upping their workload significantly.”

“Nor are they willing to commit at this stage to doing the same number of foreign tours that the King has been used to carrying out. One royal source said there was no ‘tick box’ method of determining overseas visits and that the couple will not necessarily follow the ‘template’ set down by the King but are very keen to do things their own way. That could cause problems if the Foreign Office is unable to fill the number of overseas tour slots it wants to cover off.”

But the Waleses are unlikely to budge on their decision. Kate Middleton has recently been incredibly vocal about ‘parental wellbeing’ in the workplace, explaining how a healthy work/life balance for parents can improve the lives of their children. The couple may have a nanny who can take care of their children while they find themselves pulled away for work, but as is the case for the nearly 33% of British parents who work too late to tuck their children in to bed, it's just not the same as spending time with your family.

When the family do get to spend time together, Kate revealed that she ensures the children spend lots of time outside so they can 'become happy, healthy adults.' 

In 2019, The Daily Mail reported that she said, "In recent years I have focussed much of my work on the early years, and how instrumental they are for outcomes later in life. I believe that spending time outdoors when we are young can play a role in laying the foundations for children to become happy, healthy adults."