A ‘blueprint’ for Kate and William? Prince and Princess of Wales could follow in the footsteps of European royals in introducing their children to public engagements – but will always ‘put their family first’, royal expert claims
- European royal families are preparing their children from the limelight
- Queen Letizia of Spain, stepped out with daughter Princess Sofia, 15, in Madrid
- Princess Estelle of Sweden, 10, stole the show at Stockholm meet this week
Growing up famous is never a walk in the park, and European royals are taking steps to prepare their children for the limelight that comes with the crown in what could be a blueprint for the Prince and Princess of Wales, royal experts have said.
With Prince George, nine, becoming second-in-line for the throne last month, Prince William and Kate Middleton might be tempted to look at how other royal families are raising their children and preparing them for life as royals.
Queen Letizia of Spain, 50, has been taking her teenage daughters with her on royal engagements in order to guide them as they make their first steps as royals, and was seen with her youngest daughter, Princess Sofia, 15, in Madrid earlier this week.
Meanwhile, Princess Estelle of Sweden, 10, the daughter of Crown Princess Victoria, was front and centre of the Dutch royal visit this week, and was seen warmly hugging her godfather, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.
Speaking to FEMAIL, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams asked whether formal public appearances will so become routine for George and his younger siblings, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four.
Growing up famous is never a walk in the park, and European royals are taking steps to accustom their children to the limelight that comes with the crown, in what could be a blueprint for the Prince and Princess of Wales. Pictured: Princess Estelle of Sweden, 10, welcomed the Dutch Royals with her parents and grandparents on Tuesday
Queen Letizia of Spain, 50, took her youngest daughter, Infanta Sofia, 15, to the National Day Military Parade in Madrid
‘The way the public follow the young royals is obviously through public appearances.
‘Clearly their privacy must always take priority and William and Catherine have been careful to limit when we see them, when there is always worldwide interest.
‘When they do appear, they can steal the show, as Louis did during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The important issue here is how this is handled,’ he added.
The commentator went on to say that putting his family first has always been paramount for Prince William.
‘William has always put his family first and gave them space, first in Anglesey, then Anmer Hall and now at Adelaide Cottage on Windsor Estate where all three of their children go to the same school and they get privacy they did not have when based at Kensington Palace,’ he added.
The Prince and Princess of Wales walking their three children to school. From left to right, Prince George, nine, Prince Louis, four, and Princess Charlotte, seven
Richard also touched on the controversial decision of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark to remove the princely titles of her second son’s children earlier this month.
It was recently announced that the children of Prince Joachim, who currently lives in France, Felix, Nikolai, Athena and Henrik, won’t be called ‘Prince and Princess,’ but will instead be Counts and Countesses.
The royal expert said: ‘Queen Margrethe’s ill-timed removal of the titles of the children of her second son Joachim, following a similar action by King Carl Gustav in Sweden in 2019, has been a rare moment of public disharmony.
However, the commentator asked whether Sweden is setting the pace for the future with Princess Estelle, who welcomed the Dutch royals to Stockholm with her parents and grandparents this week.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte showed they were very mature when they attended Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on September 19
He added that we might see more of George and Charlotte in upcoming years as they take on more engagements.
‘Is it possible that George might do likewise in a few years? I suspect not for quite a while but who knows,’ he said.
‘After all, George once entertained President Obama in his bathrobe when almost three and made a friend for life,’ he added.
‘Copies of the bathrobe sold out too showing his pull as a fashion icon when very young!’
When it comes to Princess Charlotte, the only daughter of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the way Letizia of Spain is raising her youngest daughter, Sofia, 15, might be a good example to follow.
Sofia stood to the right of her father King Felipe VI. She made quite a splash in her Carolinq Herrera dress
Princess Estelle of Sweden stole the show when she met with her godfather King Willem-Alexander ands Queen Maxima on Tuesday. Her father Prince Daniel gave her a sweet hug
Princess Leonor, 16, and Sofia, 15, are used to camera and are regularly photographed during their summer outings with their parents (pictured in Mallorca in August)
‘Infanta Sofia appeared on the Spanish National Day with her parents and made quite a splash wearing a Carolina Herrera dress,’ he said.
But the expert tempered that it might a few years before Charlotte is out in this capacity, because ‘she is much younger.’
Meanwhile, Nigel Cawthorne, author of Prince Andrew, Maxwell, Epstein and the Palace, suggested that the Prince and Princess of Wales might be tempted to follow the example of Princess Diana.
‘It was William’s mother Diana who revolutionised the way children in the British royal family would be treated,’ he said.
‘As Princess of Wales, she did away with the army of servants, nannies who had raised Charles in a bubble away from his parents and treated her boys like any family in Britain would,’ he added.
‘Without a doubt, the best approach for Kate and William is to think: “what would Diana do?”‘
Prince Louis is too young to take part in most royal engagements, but stole the show at the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations in June
Princess Estelle and her brother Oscar of Sweden, six, are photographed to mark special occasions, including the festivities for the Crown Princess her 45th birthday at Solliden Palace in Oland,
Leonor and Sofia have grown up in the public eye and have appeared in an official capacity from a young age
Just like Princess Diana, Letizia has been able to protect the privacy of her daughters, while sharing milestones with the general public, like Leonor’s first day of school in 2008, pictured
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