{"id":397902,"date":"2025-09-04T18:20:20","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T18:20:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/397902\/"},"modified":"2025-09-04T18:20:20","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T18:20:20","slug":"princess-charlotte-is-thriving-despite-growing-up-in-the-royal-spotlight-she-can-be-herself-star-magazine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/397902\/","title":{"rendered":"Princess Charlotte Is \u2018Thriving\u2019 Despite Growing Up in the Royal Spotlight: \u2018She Can Be Herself\u2019 \u2013 Star Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" ZUMAPRESS.com \/ MEGA<\/p>\n

The lives of royal children aren\u2019t always the stuff of fairytales. King Charles III<\/strong>, 76, had a famously formal relationship with Queen Elizabeth II<\/strong> and Prince Philip<\/strong>. The monarch\u2019s parents \u201conly saw their children after breakfast and teatime,\u201d Sally Bedell Smith<\/strong> wrote in 2017\u2019s Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life, Express<\/a> reported. Princess Diana<\/strong> took a very different approach to raising sons Prince William<\/strong>, 43, and Prince Harry<\/strong>, 41, before her death 28 years ago. \u201cI remember [her] telling me that she wanted her two boys to be brought up in a way no other royal princes had been,\u201d former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond<\/strong> wrote in The i Paper<\/a>. \u201cAnd she did her best to give them an idea of what life beyond the palace walls is like.\u201d William and wife Princess Kate<\/strong>, 43,she added, \u201chave gone further\u201d with their own kids. While they can\u2019t change \u201cthat their children have been born into an extraordinary destiny,\u201d Bond explained, \u201cthey\u2019ve also given them a taste of a more ordinary existence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" Mirrorpix \/ MEGA<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s making all the difference \u2014 especially for their only daughter, Princess Charlotte<\/strong>. A change in British law makes her the first British princess in history to rank above a brother in the line of succession. The 10-year-old is also the first young senior royal to wear colorful nail polish, like other girls her age, in a public setting, with her mani delighting fans at July\u2019s Wimbledon tennis championships. That pop of pink is just one sign William and Kate are raising Charlotte and her brothers, Prince George<\/strong>, 12, and Prince Louis<\/strong>, 7, to be modern royals while striving to make their lives as normal as possible. \u201cThey take pride in being hands-on parents,\u201d a source tells Star. \u201cThey\u2019ve always made a point to do school drop-offs and pickups and attend as many school events, games and practices as possible. Family is everything.\u201d Especially in the wake of Kate\u2019s 2024 cancer battle. \u201cThey know these are the most precious years of all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" Instagram\/Prince and Princess of Wales
\nShared Pursuits<\/strong><\/p>\n

While Charlotte is destined to be a major player in The Firm, right now, William and Kate just want the girl he lovingly calls<\/a> \u201cMignonette\u201d \u2014 a French term of endearment that means little cutie \u2014 to enjoy being a kid. Like any ordinary British tween, she roots for sports teams like the Lionesses \u2014 England women\u2019s national soccer squad. She\u2019s an athlete herself, playing tennis, rugby and soccer (her dad called her a \u201cbudding star\u201d during a 2022 visit with the England Women\u2019s team, Hello!<\/a> reported). Her fave might be gymnastics. Kate shared at the Commonwealth Games, Daily Mail<\/a> reported, that Charlotte \u201cspends most of her time upside-down, doing handstands and cartwheels.\u201d She\u2019s a dancer like grandmother Diana. \u201cShe loves ballet and tap,\u201d Kate revealed in 2023, per InStyle<\/a>. And, like her late great-grandmother Elizabeth, she loves horses. \u201cCharlotte has this passion about horses, and although [Kate] doesn\u2019t echo it,\u201d paralympic equestrian Natasha Baker<\/strong> revealed after speaking with Kate at a Buckingham Palace reception, E! News<\/a> reported, the mom made it clear \u201cshe\u2019ll do her best to champion and encourage it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pop music is another joy for the soon-to-be fifth grader. Last summer, William and Charlotte were caught on camera singing and dancing their hearts out at one of Taylor Swift<\/strong>\u2019s Eras tour stops in London. A few months later in South Africa, William proudly showed off a \u201cPapa\u201d friendship bracelet Charlotte made him. (She\u2019s also reportedly made colorful string bracelets for grandpa Charles.)<\/p>\n

\"\" WireImage
\nWhat She\u2019s Like<\/strong><\/p>\n

During a \u201cmummy chat\u201d with the wife of a Royal Marine several years ago, People<\/a> reported, Kate revealed that Charlotte was already \u201cthe one in charge\u201d at home, even as a toddler. That\u2019s clearly extended to royal events, where in recent years she\u2019s been seen gently reminding George what to do or keeping little Louis in line. Royal biographer Robert Hardman<\/strong> sees some of QEII in Charlotte. \u201cThe practical common sense,\u201d he told People<\/a> in May. \u201cNot camera-grabbing but solid and responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Comparisons to Kate, of course, are also inevitable. Childrenswear designer Amaia Arrieta<\/strong>, who\u2019s met Charlotte multiple times, recently described her to People<\/a> as \u201ca caring and determined little girl\u201d whose personality resembles her mother\u2019s. (\u201cCharlotte is very much in her mold,\u201d Nigel Gillingham<\/strong>, president of the Rugby Football Union, confirmed to People<\/a> in 2023, adding, \u201cShe\u2019s very competitive as well.\u201d) Charlotte, the designer explained, \u201cis sweet but also has her own opinions.\u201d Befitting a future working royal, she added, \u201cShe looks very confident and at ease with herself and the environment she\u2019s in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" Mirrorpix \/ MEGA
\nPreparing For The Future<\/strong><\/p>\n

William and Kate are aware of the challenges Charlotte could face as she, like her uncle Harry before her, becomes more cognizant of her role as third in line to the throne \u2014 especially when it\u2019s her big brother\u2019s turn to wear the crown. The Duke of Sussex wrote candidly in his 2023 memoir, aptly titled Spare, about the difficulty of being the backup heir. \u201cI was the shadow, the support, the Plan B. I was brought into the world in case something happened to Willy,\u201d he wrote. \u201cMy family had declared me a nullity. The Spare. I didn\u2019t complain about it, but I didn\u2019t need to dwell on it either\u2026 The Spare could always be spared.\u201d<\/p>\n

The late QEII was also very aware \u201cof that extraordinary and challenging role of the No. 2,\u201d The Making of a King author Hardman recently told People<\/a> in May. \u201cThat\u2019s why she had a particular soft spot for [her sister Princess] Margaret<\/strong>, for [her son Prince] Andrew<\/strong> and Harry. She understood being second place in a strictly hierarchical family and institution has its challenges.\u201d (It should be noted that Margaret and Andrew were troublemakers within the royal family.)<\/p>\n

According to the source, the Prince and Princess of Wales see guiding Charlotte as \u201ca delicate balancing act\u201d since \u201cit\u2019s vital their children are aware of what\u2019s expected of them in the years ahead.\u201d They\u2019ve started \u201ceducating the kids about their heritage and the very real responsibilities that come with being a member of the monarchy,\u201d the source confirms. William has also tried to find ways to mitigate the potentially overwhelming or negative aspects of royal responsibility as he and Kate continue to raise Charlotte and her brothers with a mix of commitment to service and normality. William, Hardman has said, is working \u201cto make the whole royal existence approachable and not scary for all his children.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" Mirrorpix \/ MEGA
\nProud Parents<\/strong><\/p>\n

So far, so good. \u201cWilliam is proud of Charlotte. He loves seeing her express herself and enjoy herself in a less stuffy environment than he was brought up in,\u201d says the source. \u201cHe loves hearing her blasting Taylor Swift<\/strong> and seeing her painting her nails and playing dress-up.\u201d Kate is equally supportive of Charlotte making her own choices, the source adds, though \u201cthere are certain guidelines she expects her to adhere to.\u201d For instance, \u201cShe wants her to dress age-appropriate,\u201d the source explains, adding that \u201cKate and William are also huge sticklers for manners.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charlotte understands \u201cmore will be expected of her as she gets older, but for now she can be herself without any pressure,\u201d explains the source. When summer break ends in September, Charlotte will return to \u201cworking hard\u201d at Lambrook School, near the family\u2019s home in Windsor, adds the source (though as William noted last year, she doesn\u2019t \u201c[look] forward\u201d to exams). \u201cShe\u2019s enjoying herself and has no shortage of friends. She\u2019s thriving.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ZUMAPRESS.com \/ MEGA The lives of royal children aren\u2019t always the stuff of fairytales. King Charles III, 76,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":397903,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7708],"tags":[5105,7710,519,448],"class_list":{"0":"post-397902","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-royals","8":"tag-royal","9":"tag-royal-families","10":"tag-royal-family","11":"tag-royals"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115147415706990541","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/397902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=397902"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/397902\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/397903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=397902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=397902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=397902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}