As modern royal parents, Prince William and Princess Kate frequently talk about the active role they play in their kids’ lives, preferring to schedule royal events around school schedules and bringing their kids on trips abroad whenever possible. Although they have a longtime nanny, the Prince and Princess of Wales are much more involved in Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis’s day-to-day lives than royals of the past—but there are two surprising members of William’s family who shared a similar philosophy to his.
Although Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were loving parents, they put duty first and were frequently absent from their children’s lives while traveling on royal tours around the world. It seems the Queen Mother and King George VI took a different approach with Elizabeth and Margaret when they were young—and it’s one that is surprisingly similar to the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Prince William chats with Princess Charlotte and Prince George at the Commonwealth Games on August 1.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Prince William shares a laugh with Prince George at Wimbledon 2026.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Elizabeth: the No.1 Sunday Times Bestselling Biography of Britain’s Longest-Reigning Queen
In Gyles Brandreth’s book Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, the author and friend of the Royal Family spoke with people who knew the late Queen the best. Sonia Berry, who was friends with the late Queen from the age of five, told Brandreth that she used to play together with her London neighbor Princess Elizabeth back when the Queen Mother and King George VI were known as the Duke and Duchess of York. She described the Yorks as “noticeably hands-on” given “the standards of their time and class,” per Brandreth.
Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
“The Duchess, having had a very happy childhood herself, was all the more determined that, because the children were royal, they should have an ordinary childhood,” Berry told the author.
She described the future King George VI, who suffered from a severe stutter, as a fun, active father who wasn’t afraid to run around with Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. “The Duke never seemed shy, he didn’t stutter and he played games, like Sardines,” Berry said.
The Queen Mother (then the Duchess of York) looks on as the future King George VI plays with Princess Elizabeth, Princess Margaret and the York family’s dogs.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Prince William and Princess Kate watch as Prince George tries archery in 2023.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
It might be difficult to picture the late King playing garden games, and Berry said that her “starchy nanny” didn’t find his behavior appropriate at the time, adding, “she found it very undignified having to hide in a bush with him.”
Flashing forward to today, Prince William and Princess Kate also put an emphasis on family fun. The Princess of Wales recently shared that she loves playing rugby at home with her kids, and although life looks a lot different than it did for the Queen Mother, both William and Kate are intentional about giving their children everyday experiences at their Windsor home, just like his great-grandmother did.
Whether it’s sharing some video game time with Prince George, playing tennis with Princess Charlotte or watching soccer with Prince Louis, William and Kate have been vocal that their first priority is their children.
