Raising kids isn’t easy, and parenting in the spotlight like Kate Middleton does must be a huge challenge. Still, somehow, she has managed to raise three children who are pretty well-behaved in public but still seem comfortable acting like regular kids (despite their royal blood). How does she do it? According to one royal expert, Kate uses a magic phrase while in public that keeps Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis in line.
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Kate's magic phrase consists of four words.
As Mint reported, royal author Tom Quinn writes in his book Gilded Youth: An Intimate History of Growing Up in the Royal Family that a royal staffer told him Kate pulls out a simple phrase every time her kids start acting a bit too rowdy when they’re out and about: “Let’s take a break.”
What Kate is really saying means much more than that to her kids, though.
“She apparently used a secret code to calm the children, as she does on occasions — she simply says ‘let’s take a break’. But as a former staffer explained, the children know these few words carry far more weight than we might imagine,” Tom wrote.
Basically, if Mom tells you “Let’s take a break,” you’ve really pushed her too far — we can see how that could work!
Kate doesn't seem like the kind of mom who messes around.
Back in 2020, a source told The Sun that Kate’s biggest rule at home is that the children are not allowed to shout — especially because Will and Kate don’t raise their voices to their children themselves.
“It is a military operation but you would never guess it because they work ferociously hard on their children’s upbringing and making it seem relaxed and happy for the three of them,” the source said. “They are very good at listening to the children but being firm.”
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Not listening to Kate when it's time to take a 'break' means spending time on 'the chat sofa.'
“There’s no ’naughty step’ but there is a ‘chat sofa,'” the source added at the time. “The naughty child is taken away from the scene of the row or disruption and talked to calmly by either Kate or William.”
Sounds like a version of time-out that may be a bit gentler on the children, and as far as we can tell, it seems to work for them.
Kate laying down the law doesn't mean she's not warm and loving toward her kids.
Earlier this year, Hello! magazine’s royal correspondent wrote that Kate is “very affectionate” with her children in the same way that Princess Diana was with Harry and William.
“Kate is often seen holding her children’s hands or picking them up for cuddles when they were smaller,” the person said. “There are often lots of comforting gestures, such as a pat on the back or stroking their hair. When interacting with other children on her public engagements, Kate often crouches down to their level to engage with them – something that Diana would often do.”
