Princess Diana's 'biggest parenting regret' that Kate and William will avoid

The Prince and Princess of Wales are set to avoid repeating what has been dubbed Princess Diana's 'biggest parenting regret' when it comes to their own children, according to a royal expert. 

Since Kate Middleton and Prince William's wedding day in April 2011, the royal couple have become parents to three children - Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. 

The Wales family reside in Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, having moved from Kensington Palace in 2022, and are believed to be raising their brood of three in a way that prepares them for royal life, while also giving them as much of a normal childhood as possible. 

And while Prince William's mother, the late Princess Diana, was known to be a doting and loving parent, a royal expert has highlighted that one of her 'biggest regrets' when it comes to raising William and his brother, Prince Harry, was spending time away from them to fulfil her work duties. 

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"Diana was very hands-on with the boys but there were large chunks of time she had to be away due to work. William was also often paraded on royal tours and outings and his childhood was by no means perfect. That was one of Diana's big regrets," royal journalist Duncan Larcombe explained. 

Speaking to OK! magazine, he added that Prince William, who is first in the line of succession, has always hoped to use his mother's parenting lessons as inspiration for raising his own children. 

"William has always wanted to raise his children with Diana's lessons and regrets in mind. His children's needs come before royal duty," Duncan said, sharing how family life is a priority for the Prince and Princess of Wales, despite their status in the monarchy.

Continuing to explain how Princess Catherine is also keen to ensure that Diana's regrets over not spending enough time with her sons is not reflected in her own children's lives along with having her own parents' impact shine through, Duncan added, "Kate is a hands-on mother by nature. She follows Diana's lead but also the influence of the Middletons.

"With Kate, she takes royal duty seriously but she will drop everything for her children and that has been an agreed term between her and William throughout."