Prince William's one rule for staff in his bid to keep Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis' home life 'normal'

Prince William's staff have to keep their work clothes 'casual', a new royal book has claimed

Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis
(Image credit: Jonathan Brady - Pool/Getty Images/Future)

Prince William and Kate Middleton's children may be royals, but they are still children and their parents have enforced rules to keep their lives as normal as possible.

Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four, have been thrust into the royal spotlight this year with huge news-worthy royal events taking place, from the Queen's platinum jubilee to her state funeral

It would be hectic for anyone, so it is not difficult to imagine the pressure Prince William and Kate Middleton's children are under. While they are royals, and are expected to act as such, they are children first and foremost, and their parents want to give them as much of a normal childhood as they can.

To that end, according to a new royal book, the Prince and Princess of Wales are adamant to keep the atmosphere at their family home inviting and not austere. 

In his new book,  Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, set for release on the 6th of October, Valentine Low, a royal family reporter for The Times, writes, "When William and Kate’s children were young, and the family were dividing their time between Anmer Hall in Norfolk and Kensington Palace, William told his staff that he did not want them wearing suits when they were in the office."

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis

(Image credit: Jonathan Brady - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

A household staff member reportedly told Low, "He [Prince William] wants it [the home's atmosphere] to be casual. The kids run around the office, and he does not want it to be stuffy. If we have important meetings, or are going to Buckingham Palace, then of course we [wear suits]."

Low reports that for Prince William, what his staff wore "did not matter," with the Prince telling his staff, "This is where my family lives," implying that people don't typically wear suits in family homes.

The 'keep it casual' rule William and Kate have enforced parallels parenting rules followed by William's mother, Princess Diana. Similarly, the late princess always tried to keep things casual and "normal" when her children, Prince William and Prince Harry, were small.

Prince William and Princess Catherine

(Image credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

One of Diana's rules, which all children are sure to be envious of, was that the boys must have popular takeout staples on Saturday nights. A former royal chef, Darren McGrady, previously recalled that the brothers got to eat pizza, hamburgers or fried chicken.

McGrady told Coffee Friend, "On a Saturday night, you’d see Diana sitting down in front of the TV eating dinner with her boys, it just made everything so normal," McGrady said. "Nanny always suggested that the boys have roasted chicken, green vegetables and healthy food, but on a Saturday night the boys could have pizza, the boys could have hamburgers and fried chicken, and things like that.

"It was a special treat. It was Diana’s way of showing them, 'you’re children too,' and we see a lot of that with Kate now too."

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Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse
Royal News and Entertainment writer

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is royal news and entertainment writer for Goodto.com. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.