What The Daily Lives Of The Royal Kids Are Like
What is it really like to be a child in the Royal Family?
By Marcia Moody
While the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's youngest son, Prince Louis, gets on with business of being a baby, their eldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, are already showing the world various sides of their adorable personalities, whether it's giving a wave to the crowds when visiting their new baby brother in hospital, acting as pageboy and bridesmaid to Uncle Harry, or stealing the show at a recent polo match.
But what are their everyday lives like?
1. Horses Galore
It's no secret that the royal family loves equestrian companionship, and two of the littlest members are no exception. As well as watching their dad, Prince William, play polo and attending the Houghton Horse trials, George has apparently started riding lessons on a Shetland pony borrowed from his godmother, Zara Tindall. Meanwhile, Kate told equestrian gold medalist Natasha Baker at an engagement that Charlotte loves horses too.
2. Time Spent Outdoors
Although the Cambridges are based in London now, they frequently head back to their country home of Anmer Hall (including significant chunks of time at Christmas and Easter) and get stuck in the countryside vibe. Kate has been spotted with George at Snettisham Park farm, where he went down the slide, rode tractors, made the most of the climbing frame, visited the petting zoo, and played in hay bales. George has also been seen at the beach with grandma Carole Middleton, along with a bucket, a shovel, and Lupo the Cambridges' pet dog.
Kate revealed in the Spring that, additionally, George and Charlotte were very excited about some new arrivals to the household. The Cambridges have five chickens at their Norfolk home, and at the time, they had an incubator of eggs that George and Charlotte were examining every day as they waited for the chicks to hatch.
3. Learning to Garden
Continuing with the big outdoors theme, the two youngsters have also been turning their hands to a spot of gardening — both with their mother, Kate, and grandfather Prince Charles. The prince told the BBC Radio 4 show Gardener's Question Time about his experiences with grandson George at his Highgrove home: "The most important thing is I got him planting a tree or two here, so we planted it together and shoveled in the earth. That's the way, I think, when you are very small, and then each time they come you say, 'Do you see how much the tree has grown?', or whatever, and you hope that they take an interest."
Meanwhile, as Kate said in 2017, "I've got such fond memories of being in the garden and being outside from my own childhood, and I'm sharing that with my own children, George and Charlotte, at the moment."
4. Cultured Kids
Kate revealed at an engagement in 2016 that George had been to the Natural History Museum on many occasions and loves the dinosaur section. In 2017, the duchess added that Charlotte loves the museum too. It looks like little Louis will be following in his big brother and sister's footsteps with a trip to the museum when he's a bit older.
5. Chefs in Training
Kate has revealed on engagements that George and Charlotte are keen but messy home cooks. The pair enjoy making pizza dough, as well as chocolate rice cakes. Of baking with her eldest, Kate has revealed, "When I try to do this with George at home, chocolate and golden syrup goes everywhere. He makes so much mess. It's chaos."
6. School Days
Charlotte goes to Willcocks Nursery five days a week. Mornings are for educational games, writing, nature classes, poetry, singing, acting, and jigsaws, and afternoons are all about free play, cooking, arts and crafts, and music and movement.
George is full-time at Thomas's school in Battersea. The school has a rooftop playground overlooking the river, a ballet room, science laboratories, a pottery room, two libraries, and a one-acre playground.
7. Toys, Toys, Toys
Over the years as he watches his father play polo, George has been occupied with all sorts of toys including balls, miniature polo mallets, toy cars, and a giant slinky. It seems the toy guns he was playing with at a recent match were from a police officer set, as he was also spotted pulling the handcuffs from the packaging. George also has a scooter and a rocking horse that was a gift from the Obamas, while Charlotte was photographed with a stuffed toy dog — the Jellycat Fuddlewuddle puppy.
8. Royal Holidays
Kate has taken Prince George to visit Santa before and also to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, where mother and son rode the teacups. Last year, William revealed on a Winter trip to Finland that George had asked for a police car and at another engagement that George had played a sheep in his school's nativity play.