The Royal Family are used to having some pretty unusual rules to abide by – whether it's fashion or walking quirks that the Princess of Wales has to keep in mind while out and about, or the late Queen's refusal to serve certain foods. But, it seems that Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, also have one standout rule in place for their three children which is actually pretty relatable.
While appearing on a recent episode of Eugene Levy's travel series, The Reluctant Traveller, the host asked Prince William how he and his family spend their time out of the spotlight.
The future King then replied that they make a big, conscious effort to live life offline.
"We sit and chat, none of the children have phones," the Prince revealed, when discussing Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, "[It's something] we are really strict about."
The dilemma of when to give a child a smartphone is one that many parents can relate to, so it'll no doubt be reassuring in a way to hear that the Waleses are going through similar parenting challenges.
It's an issue that the Prince has spoken about previously too; back in 2018, while appearing on Channel 5 News, the royal said he and Kate were trying hard to nail the balance when it comes to screentime.
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"This generation are going to be the first to grow up fully immersed in mobile phones, social media, lots of stuff," William reflected. "And yet our generation, the older generation, the parent generation, we're completely left at, 'How do we deal with this? Where do we go to? Where do you learn about how to look after your children's digital world?'."
Luckily, it seems like William and Kate are dealing with the problem by ensuring their children have plenty of other hobbies on the go and a love of the great outdoors.
"Louis loves the trampoline, he's obsessed by trampolining and Charlotte actually does it a lot as well," the royal revealed.
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
