TL;DR:
- According to Gilded Youth: A History of Growing Up in the Royal Family: From the Tudors to the Cambridges, Kate Middleton says, “Let’s take a break,” when George, Charlotte, and Louis misbehave publicly.
- “The children know these few words carry far more weight than we might imagine,” a former staffer told Quinn.
- The “secret code” was reportedly used by Kate Middleton with Prince Louis at the June 2022 Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Kate Middleton has a history of handling meltdowns like a pro regarding her and Prince William’s children. One trick in her arsenal of parenting skills is reportedly a four-word phrase. When the Princess of Wales uses it, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis know that “this is serious.”
It doesn’t go unnoticed Prince William and Kate Middleton’s children ‘misbehave in public’
Whether they’re mourning a loved one or watching a tennis match, the Prince and Princess of Wales’ kids’ behavior gets them noticed. Particularly when they act out publicly.
“When they misbehave in public, every detail is noted by the press,” author Tom Quinn wrote of George, Charlotte, and Louis in Gilded Youth. The result can be, he continued, “both praise and blame.” Whether the royal couple is lauded for their parenting skills or criticized, Quinn noted “the difficulties involved in trying to live in the glare of this level of scrutiny” are “easy to imagine.”
Kate’s ‘let’s take a break’ phrase reportedly means ‘this is very serious’ to George, Charlotte, and Louis
“When Prince Louis misbehaved at the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, for example, by sticking his tongue out at his mother and then putting his hand over her mouth,” Quinn wrote, “Kate’s reaction was praised by teams of expert commentators.”
Indeed Kate was, at the time, hailed for staying cool and calm. She and William even released a cheeky statement about what a good time Louis had.
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However, according to Quinn, Kate handled the situation so gracefully, at least in part, by saying a few certain words to the 4-year-old. “She apparently used a secret code to calm the children as she does on occasions — she simply says, ‘Let’s take a break,’” he wrote.
“The children know these few words carry far more weight than we might imagine,” Quinn explained. “It’s been drummed into the children that when Mummy says, ‘Let’s take a break,’ she actually means, ‘This is very serious and if you don’t stop mucking about and embarrassing me, there will be consequences when we get back to the palace,’” a former staffer told Quinn.
“That’s why it works. If Kate says there will be consequences, then there really will be,” they added. “She is good at boundaries and not nearly such a pushover as she might look.”
William and Kate reportedly use a ‘chat sofa’ to discipline Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis
The Prince and Princess of Wales aren’t supposedly ones for time outs when their kids misbehave. Instead they use a “‘chat sofa.’”
The “naughty child” is taken to the so-called “chat sofa” away from where the transgression occurred. There, William or Kate “calmly” talk to them before outlining the “consequences.”
Together, with their longtime nanny, Maria Borrallo, William and Kate discipline their children.
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