6 Strict and Surprising Rules Prince William and Kate Middleton Have Set for the Wales Children

If you thought being a royal kid meant little to no rules, then think again. While it’s well-known that the Royal Family have a lot of protocols they have to (or, at least, are supposed to) follow, the children also have to go by certain rules. Although, these are set by mom and dad rather than centuries-old traditions.

At the Wales household, for example, Prince William and Kate Middleton have set out a long list of rules for their three kids—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—to follow. Some of them are pretty standard, the kind you’d expect any parent to set out, while others are quite surprising. One, in fact, has even caused “tense issues.”

Scroll on for six of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s parenting rules that the Wales kids have to follow.
No phones allowed

Like most parents, William and Kate have taken a stance on mobile phone use when it comes to their three kids. Their stance, however, is arguably tougher than most.

“None of our children have any phones, which we’re very strict about,” William told Eugene Levy on The Reluctant Traveler documentary. The topic has become a pretty “tense” one in the Wales family household, in fact.
“It’s really hard,” William told broadcaster Luciano Huck on his royal visit to Brazil this month, explaining that he might make an allowance for Prince George when he’s older. “I think when George moves on to secondary school, then maybe he might have a phone that has no internet access.”
William went on, “To be honest, it’s getting to the point where it’s becoming a little bit of a tense issue. But I think he understands why, we communicate why we don’t think it’s right.”
Restricted internet access

Off the back of his comments about phone use, William revealed that his main concern is his children having access to the internet. As such, this is something that’s restricted for Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

“I think it’s the internet access I have a problem with,” he told broadcaster Luciano. “I think children can access too much stuff they don’t need to see online.” With that in mind, William said he’ll only allow his kids to have an “old sort of brick phone”—meaning they can use it to make calls and texts, but can’t access the internet from it.
Family time over dinner

There’s no dashing off early from the table or watching TV while eating at the Wales household, as William and Kate think quality time over dinner should be prioritized.

“Do you all sit down at the dinner table together?” Eugene Levy asked William during his appearance on the documentary.

“Yep, absolutely. Yep, definitely. We sit and chat, it’s really important,” the future King replied.

That being said, an insider who worked for the late Queen and Princess Diana previously revealed that the royal children eat in the nursery until they have “learned the art of polite conversation” and can graduate to sitting with grown ups.
Chores, chores, chores

Perhaps quite surprisingly, the Princes and Princess have chores they need to do, regardless of the nannies, chefs, butlers, assistants, and house managers at their home. According to one royal expert, the Wales children are actually expected to “muck in” around the house.

“It would surprise people to see how ordinary things are at home,” the insider told The Mirror. “The children help with laying the table, clearing their plates when they’ve finished eating and helping with tidying up. There’s no special treatment.”Inside voices only

It’s all so quiet, shhh, at the Wales household, if an insider who spoke to The Sun is anything to go by. According to the source, shouting has basically been banned by Prince William and Kate, who prefer their children to communicate quietly and kindly, especially during difficult conversations.

“Shouting is absolutely ‘off limits’ for the children, and any hint of shouting at each other is dealt with by removal,” the insider claimed. As for what “removal” means, that’s time out to talk things through…

“The naughty child is taken away from the scene of the row or disruption and talked to calmly by either Kate or William,” the source went on. “There’s no ‘naughty step’ but there is a ‘chat sofa.’ Things are explained and consequences outlined.”
Honesty is the best policy

William and Kate want their children to be honest with them always—and, to ensure that, they lead by example. “We’re a very open family,” he said on The Reluctant Traveler. “So we talk about things that bother us, and things that trouble us.”

William went on, “It’s just important to be there for each other.”