Why Kate Middleton and Prince William are always seen holding their children's hands

The innocent gesture may have deeper meaning

Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George and Princess Charlotte
(Image credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage)

Kate Middleton and Prince William are regularly photographed holding their children's hands and one parenting expert believes it's not just for their safety, but to show the stable hands the monarchy rests in. 


While the Wales Family enjoy their summer holidays with a whole two months of family time blocked out in the calendar before the children go back to school after summer, it's unlikely we will be seeing much of them as the parents are fiercely protective of their children’s privacy during their time off.

But just before they began their break, royal fans were treated with some lovely photographs of their family outings at both RAF Fairfield, where Kate and William's surprisingly thrifty parenting was revealed, and the Wimbledon Men's Singles Final as Charlotte made her debut appearance at the event. The pictures were sweet and many were quick to point out that, like in nearly every photo of the family, William and Kate were clutching onto their kids' hands as they moved around. 

Hand-holding is not an unusual thing for the Wales family to do and we have seen it in several of their heartwarming Christmas card photos but one parenting expert believes that the action is more than just a coincidence or tactic for ensuring their children's safety - it's actually showing the stable hands the monarchy is in.

Parenting expert Jasmine Peters told FEMAIL,  "It is not uncommon to see a father with his son to set the foundation of what his role and responsibilities will be in life with a family. It is often believed that it takes a man to raise a boy to be a man. If you look at the pictures it clearly reflects this common belief.

"It could reflect that Kate and William are traditional,  but it also reflects the importance of the bond created between father and son and mother and daughter that they both treasure and hold dearly as responsible and loving parents." 

She also shared, "Children often equate their worth to the parent that looks like them. And any parent that understands how their bond will affect their child in the future when they become adults understands the importance of creating a strong bond early on in their childhood and youth."

Commenting on the fact that George is most regularly seen holding 'dad's' hand while Charlotte tends to hold 'mum's,' Jasmine added that while it may feel overly 'traditional,' there is importance in father-son and mother-daughter bonding.  

"Although these pictures can look a bit traditional, William and Kate may also understand the importance of a son bonding with his father and a daughter bonding with her mother. 

"They realise the importance of bonding with them early on and training them up from their youth into adulthood, so establishing a solid foundation which is created early on in parent-child relationships."

Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis

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

Lucy Shrimpton, AKA The Sleep Nanny added further insight into why George may naturally lean on his father more so than Kate. 

She told FEMAIL, "The children are close in age and when the new baby depends heavily on Mum, it is natural for the toddler to gravitate towards dad who can provide more attention when mum is busy with the baby.

"If George has spent extra time with dad because mum has had her hands full with a new baby, they may have built a father-son bond that has stuck.

"I believe the same would have happened even if they had a girl first and then a boy or even two girls. I imagine you would still see the older sibling with dad more and the younger with mum at this sort of age."

News writer

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is a news writer for Goodtoknow, specialising in family content. 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.