Revealed: Naughty royal kids used to get a "clip around the ear" before this Royal Family tradition

A right royal telling off!

• Any royal child guilty of misbehaving before a royal public appearance would get a clip around the ear, it's claimed.
• Peter Phillips has made the revelation in the upcoming documentary to celebrate his mother Princess Anne's 70th birthday.
• The controversial form of discipline comes after the special parenting trick Kate Middleton swears by to control the Cambridge kids was revealed.

The Princess Royal's son Peter Phillips has disclosed how the young members of the Royal family were once given a "clip round the ear" and instructed not to "pick their nose or yawn" before big occasions like the Royal balcony scene at Buckingham Palace.

Meanwhile his sister Zara Tindall has a different memory of the occasion. When asked about “balcony behaviour for youngsters", Mrs Tindall said, 'For me, family occasions were all about hanging out with our cousins and just having as much fun as possible.'

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But Peter revealed, 'You then get a clip round the ear and say right, behave yourself, you know, we’re going out on the balcony. Don’t pick your nose and you know, don’t yawn.'

And it looks like controlling the kids during the infamous balcony scene is just as tricky these days.

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Mr Phillips' own children Isla and Savannah have joined the royal family on the balcony, and most recently was pictured joking around with Prince George in 2018 when Savannah amused onlookers by covering the young future king’s mouth with her hand as the national anthem was played.

The upcoming documentary, which will be broadcast on Wednesday, also gives an insight into Princess Anne's own childhood, and her school days which saw her escape her protection officer to have fish and chips with friends.