Prince William is taking what he learned from his parents’ failed marriage into his own relationship with Kate Middleton.
The Prince of Wales reflected on the mistakes of King Charles III and the late Princess Diana in an episode of Eugene Levy’s Apple TV+ show, “The Reluctant Traveler,” which was released Oct. 3.
“I think it’s really important that that atmosphere is created at home. You have to have that warmth, that feeling of safety, security, love,” William, 43, said, referring to raising his three children with the Princess of Wales: Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7.
“That all has to be there, and that was certainly part of my childhood,” William added.
But the heir to the British throne noted that the warm environment only “lasted a short period of time” since his parents divorced in 1996 when he was just 8 years old. Their breakup notoriously occurred amid reports of Charles’ long-term affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, whom the King wed in 2005.
“You take that and you learn from it and you try and make sure you don’t do the same mistakes as your parent,” William said. “I think we all try and do that.”
William understands that family drama can impact how his children develop.
“I just want to do what’s best for my children, but I know that the drama and the stress when you’re small really affects you when you’re older,” he said.
William also believes the tabloid attention surrounding his mom and dad heavily affected their marriage.
“Growing up, I saw that with my parents. The media were so insatiable back then. It’s hard to think of it now, but they were much more insatiable,” William said. “They wanted every bit of detail they could absorb, and they were in everything, literally everywhere. They would know things, they’d be everywhere.”
William has learned that he can’t let media pressure get to him if he wants to foster a loving household.
“If you let that creep in, the damage it can do to your family life is something that I vowed would never happen to my family,” he said. “And so, I take a very strong line about where I think that line is and those who overstep it, I’ll fight against.”
William and Middleton, 43, run a strict home and always make sure to sit down to dinner with their children every night.
“We sit and chat, it’s really important,” he said, also revealing that their children aren’t allowed to have cellphones.
“None of our children have any phones, which we’re very strict about,” he said.
Instead, the little royals find other ways to keep themselves entertained.
While Charlotte enjoys netball and ballet, George loves football and hockey, and little Louis likes to jump on the trampoline.
“Louis loves the trampoline, so he’s obsessed with trampolining and, actually, Charlotte does a lot as well,” William said. “As far as I can tell, they just end up jumping up and down on the trampoline, beating each other up, most of the time. Apparently, there is an art to it.”
In general, William believes it’s good to keep his kids preoccupied with sports and other outdoor activities.
“They’re trying to learn musical instruments. I’m not sure how successful we’re being with that,” William laughed.
