Being royal doesn’t mean you don’t like regular things too, and Princess Charlotte is the perfect example. Prince William and Kate Middleton’s daughter, 10, loves playing sports, making friendship bracelets, and watching Disney movies — and insiders speculate that she may be about to follow in her mom’s footsteps in another refreshingly normal way.
According to Hello!, Princess Kate and her sister Pippa Middleton were both Brownies as kids, which is a youth organization under the Girlguiding UK umbrella. Kate joined the 1st St Andrew’s Brownies near her home in Pangbourne, Berkshire, when she was 8 years old. Girlguiding is the UK’s version of Girl Scouts, where girls will get to go on field trips, play games, do arts and crafts activities, and have outdoor adventures.
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LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 08: Watched by her mother Catherine, Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales tries her hand at archery while taking part in the Big Help Out, during a visit to the 3rd Upton Scouts Hut in Slough on May 8, 2023 in London, England. The Big Help Out is a day when people are encouraged to volunteer in their communities. It is part of the celebrations of the Coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the other Commonwealth realms that took place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, May 6, 2023. (Photo by Daniel Leal – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
“She was quite easygoing,” Brownie pack leader June Scutter previously told PEOPLE of Middleton. “They were just ordinary children, nothing different from any others.”
Now, Middleton is still involved in the Scouts. This spring, she visited the Lake District, where she joined a group of Scouts outdoors for a day and shared how nature impacted her cancer recovery.
“She made people comfortable from the off,” U.K. Chief Scout Dwayne Fields, who accompanied Princess Kate on the hike in April, told PEOPLE. “There wasn’t a moment of empty space filled with awkwardness. When people ask you questions about yourself, it becomes quite personal quite quickly. There’s an art to it — and she certainly has it.”
Fields added, “It definitely brings her back to a place that brings back special memories, and she recognizes the benefits of being outdoors and that we can all share those benefits because if we utilize the green spaces near us, near our homes, where possible, we can all benefit.”
It makes sense that Middleton, who is also a royal patron of the Scout Association, would sign up Charlotte for this family tradition as well.
Even if Charlotte isn’t a Brownie, we know she loves spending time outside with her siblings Prince George, 12, and Prince Louis, 7. Child and adolescent therapist Laura Gwilt speculated on how important outdoor play is in an interview with Hello!
“Research consistently shows that time in nature helps reduce stress, improves attention, and supports emotional regulation,” she told the outlet. “Even brief exposure to green space can lower cortisol levels and improve mood — something particularly important in childhood, when the brain is still developing the capacity to manage strong emotions.”
She added, “For royal children, who grow up in more structured and often scrutinized environments, outdoor play can offer a sense of normality, spontaneity, and psychological freedom.”
Before you go, check out every time Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte coordinated their colorful outfits.
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