Prince Louis’ bedtime routine might be strict but dad Prince William always makes time for this sweet tradition

Prince Louis' dad Prince William has revealed the 'strict' bedtime routine he and Kate Middleton have put in place for their youngest son - though they still make time for a sweet tradition every night.

Putting kids down at bedtime is meant to be one of the most relaxing parts of their day, preparing them to get the rest and get the deep sleep they need to take on tomorrow when they wake up. But, in reality, it's not always that easy, is it?

For a lot of parents, bedtime is soundtracked by children clinging, crying and stalling, something a child therapist says is avoidable by asking kids three ‘check-in’ questions at night, and getting children to calm down and sleep alone throughout the night feels impossible. 

To combat this problem in the royal household, there's a strict set of rules imposed in the Wales' home of Adelaide Cottage for Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six. 

The most important is the strict 7pm bedtime enforced by their Norland nanny Maria Borrallo. The nanny also imposes a number of rules, like her playtime rule inspired by Nordic parenting as well as limits on screentime in favour of games and jigsaws to teach them through play, so the kids are tired out enough by the end of the day to nod off without incident. 

But while their bedtime routine is strict, there's always time for a bedtime story. 

During the Buckingham Palace Garden Party hosted on behalf of King Charles III earlier this week, Prince William revealed that he reads to his youngest son Prince Louis every night before bed, often choosing from the nation's favourite children's books. 

The tidbit came after budding author Rowan Aderyn handed William the children's book he had written about a boy called Jack who meets a lady experiencing homelessness and wants to help. 

"This is great, so inspirational. I'll read this to Louis tonight at bedtime," Prince William said as he accepted the book, HELLO! Magazine reports. 

The book is sure to become a favourite in the Wales household for it's meaningful message but we're hesitant to say it could ever top what William revealed previously to be his kids' favourite bedtime story -  Julia Donaldson's Room On The Broom. 

In 2020, during a visit to a South Wales ice cream parlour,  William spotted a child reading Julia Donaldson's classic Room On The Broom and quickly said, "I read this to our children all the time." He added that when he once met the author when she received her CBE for services to literature, "I said, 'Do you realise how many parents you have saved at bedtime?'" 

Bedtimes are also helped by another popular children's author, especially for Charlotte and George, William also revealed. "David Walliams also does good books for children – for a little bit older children, I think. I've read one, and it was really, really good."

In other royal news, Queen Elizabeth is in full mum-mode in never-before-seen photo released by Buckingham Palace and Prince Louis inherited mischievous personality from his dad as unearthed clips show Prince William getting ‘told off’ by the late Queen. Plus, Prince George, Charlotte and Louis very nearly had different baby names as Kate Middleton ‘set her heart’ on moniker with a sweet link to the late Queen Elizabeth II (and we love it).