The return of The Crown means the life of the late Princess Diana's personal life is being put under a microscope once again. In the latest season, fans gain an insight into the late Princess' life raising Prince William and Prince Harry. What you may not know is that Princess Kate has taken a leaf out of Diana's book and channels her maternal instincts when raising her own brood.
Princess Kate is mother to three children – Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five. Royal experts have said that Kate has picked up parenting practices used by Diana in raising Kate's husband Prince William and Prince Harry.
Princess Diana, especially by royal standards, was a warm and loving mother who got down on eye level to speak to her children. Kate has been spotted doing the same, especially if the eldest two were upset during a public engagement which offers reassurance, said body language expert Judi James to Fabulous magazine.
HELLO! Online's Royal Correspondent Danielle Stacey tells us: "Based on observations of photographs of Princess Diana at the time, and the current Princess of Wales, they are both very affectionate with their children.
"Kate is often seen holding her children's hands or picking them up for cuddles when they were smaller," she continues. "There are often lots of comforting gestures, such as a pat on the back or stroking their hair. When interacting with other children on her public engagements, Kate often crouches down to their level to engage with them – something that Diana would often do."
Royal experts have also said that Diana was a firm believer in active listening to help her children feel listened to, something Kate has reportedly picked up.
Those confidence-building parenting techniques do not mean the royal mothers are averse to disciplining their children – after all, both women gave birth to future kings. Diana balanced her warm approach with a firm but fair attitude with the boys being expected to behave themselves, especially in public. Kate is also a believer in a 'firm but fair' philosophy, she was even spotted tapping Prince George on the head to remind him to behave himself at her sister Pippa Middleton's wedding in 2017.
With warmth and discipline also came adequate space for fun when it came to Princess Diana's parenting style. Keen royalists will recall the iconic photograph of Princess Diana at Thorpe Park enjoying time on the rides with a young William and Harry. Princess Kate also makes time for frivolity and was seen laughing as Princess Charlotte stuck her tongue out at waving members of the public and paparazzi on a visit to the Isle of Wight in 2019.
Physical closeness to the children is something Princess Diana valued and evidently so does Kate. Princess Diana was often seen wrapping a reassuring arm around the boys and even cuddling them in public, not often seen in the royal household. Kate clearly values physical affection and shows her children warmth through touch.
Showing courtesy and good manners was high on Princess Diana's parenting agenda and it has been said to be high on Kate's too. Royal biographer Andrew Morton said that Princess Diana did not want her sons' royal status to get to their heads. He said she "took the young royals with her on her private charity visits from a young age… One of the reasons was she didn't want the boys to grow up thinking the whole world was 4x4 Range Rovers, shotguns, and nannies."
Part of keeping their feet on the ground was getting them to write thank you notes to show their appreciation to members of the public who have served them. Princess Kate has reportedly taken up the same habit and is keen for her children to be courteous.
It is no surprise that both women have invested so much time into raising their children as women who have invested time in public work for young children. Princess Kate gave a keynote speech earlier this month as part of her 'Shaping Us' campaign which seeks to bring greater public awareness to the importance of early childhood.
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Prior to marrying into the royal family, Princess Diana was a nanny and was often seen engaging warmly with children on public outings.