Kate Middleton and Prince William are raising Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to become their ‘best friends’ one day

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

(Image credit: UK Press Pool/UK Press via Getty Images/Future)

published 1 January 2023

Kate Middleton and Prince William are reportedly raising Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis using ‘the Middleton Parenting Model’ to ensure their children one day become their best friends, according to a royal expert.

Kate Middleton and Prince William reportedly hope that their children will one day become their best friends and are raising them to help secure this future.
According to a royal expert, the idea stems from Kate Middleton's upbringing that left her counting 'her mother and father on the list of her best friends' throughout her twenties.
In other royal news, Kate Middleton left in tears after Prince William cancelled their New Year plans, royal book reveals.

Bringing up any child is a challenge, but when that child is set to become the King or Queen of England, the pressure must be immense.

Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four, currently sit second, third and fourth in the royal line of succession, meaning Kate and William have a big task on their hands - but the couple don't seem flustered at all.

The royal couple have reportedly adopted 'the Middleton parenting model', named as such by The Daily Mail, which means they are working to ensure that their children see them as their “best friends,” the outlet writes.

The Middleton parenting model is named after Kate’s parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, who had three children, Kate, Pippa, and James, just like the Wales' do.

According to royal expert Duncan Larcombe, as we see William and Kate attending evermore engagements with their children, it continues to become clearer that the couple are taking notes from the Middletons.

Kate Middleton, Prince William and Prince George

He told OK Magazine, “William has based his children’s upbringing on the Middleton model - three children, affluent, but hardworking parents and lots of love in the house. By the time Kate was in her early twenties, she counted her mother and father on the list of her best friends. That’s what William and Kate are aspiring to with their children.”

Kate has previously opened up about her idyllic and “very happy” childhood in Bucklebury, Berkshire and, in an appearance on Giovanna Fletcher’s podcast, Happy Mum, Happy Baby, in 2020, she praised her parents “huge dedication” to her and her siblings.

Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte

Royal expert Katie Nicholl echos Duncan Larcomb's beliefs, praising William and Kate for giving their three children such a brilliant start in life. She told Marie Claire that George, Charlotte and Louis are having the “most ordinary upbringing [of] any generation of royal children” largely thanks to the family’s move to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor in early September.

She said, “They made a very bold decision to move to Windsor so that they could have a quieter, more below-the-radar life, which they couldn’t enjoy in central London, being rather overlooked at Kensington Palace.”

For the three youngsters, life at the moment sounds more than idyllic.

Related articles:

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.