When Catherine, Princess of Wales, joined the Royal Family, she questioned a major part of palace life and established clear boundaries to ensure her children could enjoy as normal a childhood as possible. According to insiders, while Catherine and Prince William are fiercely dedicated to supporting the monarchy, they have drawn a firm line in the sand regarding their family life.
Catherine's Early Days in the Royal Family
In her new book Divide and Rule: Royal Women and Their Battles, royal author Catherine Mayer provides insight into Catherine's early days within the Royal Family. Mayer writes that Catherine and Prince William lived on the Welsh island of Anglesey while William served as a search-and-rescue pilot for the Royal Air Force, then relocated to the 10-bedroom Anmer Hall in Norfolk so he could take up a post at the East Anglian Air Ambulance service. 'Their idyll, however, was drawing to a close in more ways than one,' Mayer said.
'Soon, William would be called upon to stop playacting at being a regular person and embrace his destiny as a full-time royal,' she added, reports Marie Claire. 'Even then, he and Kate would push back, maintaining a schedule designed to give their children something closer to Middletonian nurturing than the haphazard upbringing that scarred generations of royals.'
Control Over Parenting
According to the expert, Catherine, then the Duchess of Cambridge, was unprepared to give up any aspect of control when it came to raising her children when she married Prince William in 2011. The couple operates on a strict 'give-and-take' policy with the British press. In exchange for the mainstream media leaving their children completely alone in their daily lives, at school, and on private holidays, William and Catherine provide the public with highly curated, official photos and controlled media appearances on birthdays and major events.
Choosing Privacy Over Tradition
The family's move from Kensington Palace in the heart of London to Adelaide Cottage on the Windsor estate in 2022 was chosen for its privacy, allowing George, Charlotte, and Louis to play outside, attend school as day students, and live a life away from constant cameras. The family resided there for about three years before moving to Forest Lodge, an eight-bedroom, Grade II-listed Georgian mansion in Windsor Great Park, in October 2025.
For generations, the natural trajectory for the heir to the throne was to eventually move into the 775-room Buckingham Palace. However, William and Catherine have made it clear that the palace is not where they want to raise a family. Instead, they've anchored their lives at Forest Lodge, which royal insiders have described as their 'forever home'.
Limited Staff and Hands-On Parenting
The couple has deliberately limited the number of staff living inside their home. Catherine is known to do much of the family cooking, and both parents prioritise doing the school runs themselves. This hands-on approach reflects their commitment to providing a normal upbringing for their three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
