Raising Royalty

I had originally written this in one of my college course and was so proud of it I had to share it. Along with this I may be posting some other royal rambles as I just can’t get enough of them.

For generations, the British monarchy has maintained itself by producing heir after heir. Royal children would learn from an early age who they are and who their parents are. A lot of times, the royal parent will have to choose duty over family life in all matters. Their first and foremost role is to serve their people and to preserve their power. Over the years, this family dynamic has changed in the British monarchy, and we are seeing more of it with the younger generations of Windsor families.

If we look back to even Victorian times, the relationship between parent and child was almost cold. Of course, there is love for their children but monarchs usually saw their children as a contribution to the succession of the family. The nannies would spend the most time with the children, morning until night. The mother and father would check in at least once a day to see how lessons are going or just to say good night.

Children on this end would rarely see their parents. Respect was what they had most for their royal parents. Everything they would do would be to please their parents and to uphold their title in the family. They would learn quickly that their relationship with their mother and father would be almost business-like.

Recently in the past 15–20 years, the idea of a distant parent-child relationship has begun to fade in the British royal family. Princess Diana was one of the major royal mothers to initiate a sense of a normal mother-child relationship. Her interaction with William and Harry was one mothers across the world could relate to. Diana’s yearning for some sort of normalcy fueled this and in the end seemed to be quite beneficial for the two young princes. Diana’s open love for ‘her boys’ was something everyone could apply to their own relationship with their children. Upon Diana’s death, Charles needed to step up in the father position. Charles began to portray the single father type, taking the boys on trips and interacting in a way their mother almost did. This open love that Charles and Diana had for William and Harry has clearly reflected onto the adult life of the princes today.

William, having two children of his own now, has the same affection for his kin. Katherine is number one when it comes to putting her duties over her family. As a commoner, Katherine was open to her parents and developed a loving relationship with them. In the short time that William had with Diana, he did, too. The Cambridge family is noted clearly for being private and having a more domestic lifestyle than royal families before. This has some backlash as people in the public believe that they are neglecting their royal duties. For the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, they have made it clear that family is number one in their lives and they plan to engage in a close, loving relationship with their children. The relationship Will and Katherine have with their children has a direct relationship with how they were loved and cared for as children themselves.

As we move on in the British royal family, families are beginning to break from the traditional mold and are choosing a more domestic lifestyle with their children. The families are evolving into something simpler, more close knit. One thing I can predict is that George and Charlotte, the children of William and Kate, will grow up with nurturing parents and will even carry those ideals into a family of their own.