Parents, you know what it's like… you've taken your kids out for a special day and they will just not behave and show you up.
That's what the Princess of Wales was faced with when Prince Louis poked his tongue out at her during the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations. However, it seems that the royal mother has her own technique for keeping her children in line, and we imagine she used it at that moment.
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Writing in Guilded Youth: An Intimate History of Growing Up in the Royal Family, author Tom Quinn, who spoke to former employees of the royal family, revealed the "secret code" Princess Kate uses with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Tom wrote: "When Prince Louis misbehaved at the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee, for example, by sticking his tongue out at his mother, Kate's reaction was praised by teams of expert commentators.
"She apparently used a secret code to calm the children as she does on occasions – she simply says, 'Let's take a break.'
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Tom added: "But as a former staffer explained, the children know these few words carry far more weight than we might imagine."
The book quotes a former royal staff member who explains that the phrase: "Let's take a break" is really Kate's sign to the children to behave and stop messing about, with consequences to follow at home if they don't listen.
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The Princess is known for her interest in children's early years development, and while attending The Royal Foundation's 'Mental Health in Education' conference in February 2019, she spoke about motherhood.
Drawing on her own experience, Kate shared: "When I first started out and I've learnt a lot in a short period of time working with organisations, I was very naive myself as a parent, of really just how important particularly the early years are for children's futures. And how critical it is, everyone looking after children at a critical time, teachers, parents, and everyone who’s caring for them, how important it is that we get it right."
We wonder how many parents will be adopting Princess Kate's "Let's take a break" code with their children from now on…
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