- The Duchess of Cambridge appears to be following in the footsteps of her mother-in-law, the late
Princess Diana , when it comes to her parenting style. - A friend of
Kate Middleton 's recently praised the royal for her "no pushover" approach to parenting. - Speaking to People magazine, the friend said: "When you see her behind closed doors with the children, she's a very confident mom, and she's no pushover."
- It's reminiscent of the way Princess Diana raised Prince William and Prince Harry. She was reportedly a strict mom, and encouraged William to clean staff cars for pocket money, according to the Mail Online.
The Duchess of Cambridge has been praised for her "no pushover" approach to parenting, and it's reminiscent of the way Princess Diana raised her children.
A friend of Kate Middleton's spoke anonymously to People magazine about HRH's private life with her three children, Prince George (age 7), Princess Charlotte (age 5), and Prince Louis (age 2).
"It's a normal, busy family home with kids running around and knocking things over. There's no airs and graces," the friend told People. "When you see her behind closed doors with the children, she's a very confident mom, and she's no pushover. The children get told off if they act up."
The duchess reportedly attempts to keep the kids as grounded as possible by taking part in regular activities, like the school run.
"There are no blow-dries - it's always hair up in a ponytail," the friend said. "She's either in her gym clothes, or a dress and sneakers, very little makeup, apologizing as she's late for the school run before dashing off. It's the life of a working mom with three young children - just a different sort of day job to most."
A source told the publication: "She is doing that to help her children be more grounded and keep their reality in check. That's what really matters to her."
The duchess balances royal duties with parenting by including George, Charlotte, and Louis in her official engagements. Most recently, Prince William and Middleton took the children to their first ever red carpet event at the London Palladium, where they watched a special performance of the National Lottery's Pantoland.
The children have also attended the Queen's annual Trooping the Colour birthday parade over the years, and George and Charlotte have even joined their parents on several overseas tours.
The royal couple could be taking a page from Princess Diana's book. She broke from royal tradition with her hands-on approach to parenting.
It was unheard of for royal children to accompany their parents overseas when the Princess of Wales insisted on bringing a 9-month-old William on her tour of Australia, as shown in season four of "The Crown."
When his parents traveled on official engagements during the tour, William stayed with his nanny at the family's home base, a sheep ranch in central Australia called Woomargama, Insider's Melissa Wiley previously reported.
This is a complete contrast to Queen Elizabeth II's approach. Her Majesty left a young Prince Charles in the care of staff in the UK while she and Prince Philip were in Malta.
"Just like his mother before him, much of Charles' early life was in the care of nursery staff," BBC News reports. "When he was little over a year old, his mother and father lived without him in Malta as Prince Philip was stationed there."
Middleton may have also adopted the "no pushover" approach from the late princess, who is said to have been a strict mom to William and Harry. Chauffeur David Griffin, who lived next door to Diana at Kensington Palace, told the Mail Online that the royal wasn't afraid to discipline the boys if they acted up in public.
The publication also reports that the princess would encourage William to clean staff cars for pocket money.
Kensington Palace did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
- Read more:
- 17 times Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and other royal children upstaged their famous parents
- Photos show the true story behind Princess Diana's famous Australia tour featured on 'The Crown'
- The real story behind Princess Diana's 'Phantom of the Opera' performance she gifted Prince Charles for their wedding anniversary in 'The Crown'
- 10 times Princess Diana showed she was an amazing mother