Prince William and Princess Kate Decline to Have Servants So They Can Raise Their Children on Their Own, Source Says

"There's no preferential treatment."

Kate Middleton Prince William
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Prince William and Princess Kate may be royalty, but that doesn't mean the proud parents of three children always want preferential treatment.

According to a source who spoke exclusively to The Daily Mail, the Prince and Princess of Wales have refused to use the help of dedicated staff to raise their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

"I think it would surprise people to see how ordinary things are at home," the source told the publication. "The children help with laying the table, clearing their plates when they’ve finished eating and helping with tidying up. There’s no preferential treatment."

Prince William and Kate Middleton do rely on the employment of daytime staff to, according to the outlet, "manage their busy working schedules" and "after school" time. But two years ago, when the family moved to Windsor from Kensington Palace, the couple decided that their former live-in nanny, Teresa Turrion Borrallo, "would not relocate with them."

Despite Middleton's recent cancer diagnosis and ongoing preventative chemotherapy treatments, the same report says that the Princess of Wales has "been determined to make sure her children's home life is not disrupted" and that the day-to-day activities go on as "normal as possible."

"Catherine is very, very natural," the source continued. "She keeps the family down to earth. Home is a safe haven. In a bid to keep things functioning as smoothly as possible she has been keen for everything to carry on as normal for the children.

"The children are still expected to do their chores and to muck in at home," the insider added.

Earlier this year, Prince William revealed the one household chore his children always forget (conveniently or not) to do.

According to Victoria Ward, the deputy royal editor at the Daily Telegraph, the Duke of Wales told the press during a visit to Woodgate Valley Urban Farm "that his kids always forget to clean out their own guinea pig, leaving him to do it."

In the wake of his wife's cancer diagnosis, the Prince of Wales is said to be "more protective than ever" of both his wife, Kate Middleton, and his three children.

“He is taking special care to prioritize her health and the welfare of his young family, even in the face of some people saying he should be taking on more public engagements," former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond recently told The Sun. "William can be stubborn, and perhaps never more so than when it comes to his family and their privacy.”

Danielle Campoamor
Weekend Editor

Danielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more. In addition, she is an award-winning freelance writer and former NBC journalist with over a decade of digital media experience covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mortality, gun violence, climate change, politics, celebrity news, culture, online trends, wellness, gender-based violence and other feminist issues. You can find her work in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, New York Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, TODAY, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Prism, Newsweek, Slate, HuffPost and more. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their two feral sons. When she is not writing, editing or doom scrolling she enjoys reading, cooking, debating current events and politics, traveling to Seattle to see her dear friends and losing Pokémon battles against her ruthless offspring. You can find her on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and all the places.