The royal family as children - Young King Charles, William and Harry's grief and Kate's 'ordinary' upbringing
Very different backgrounds and upbringings...All eyes have been on the royal family for years – but what were they like as children?
Before they stepped foot into the world of official duties, they all had very different childhoods.
So let’s take a look at what the royal family were really like as children, including King Charles as a young boy and Prince William and Harry’s childhood being overshadowed with grief.
Royal family as children – Young King Charles III
King Charles III always seemed like he had a close relationship with his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II. But during his childhood it seems she missed some key moments due to her dedication to the royal duties.
It was reported that when Charles’ parents attended Prince Philip‘s naval posting in Malta over Christmas 1949, they missed his first steps and first teeth. Instead these milestone moments were witnessed by his grandparents.
The absence of his parents became even more clear when he uttered his first words shortly after – “Nana”. The one word was addressed to his nanny who he probably spent more time with than anyone else as children in the royal family had helpers look after them.
Between his parents, it was his father who he had spent most time with when he was younger, and by his first birthday he had already bought a cricket bat and Philip announced he wanted him to be “a man’s man”.
A young King Charles was a ‘terribly sensitive’ prince
As a child, Charles has been described as a shy and timid character, but it seems his father was wanting to change this. Lady Mountbatten – a relative of the royal family – once said Philip “could see that Charles was a terribly sensitive boy who was going to come up against a lot of problems,” and so he wanted to toughen him up.
At the age of eight, Charles became the first heir to the throne of Britain to go to a school. He attended a small pre-prep school, before boarding at Cheam School. However, he had a completely different experience there compared to his father, as he later described it as “hell”.
Queen Camilla’s ‘perfect’ childhood
Quite different from Charles, it appears Queen Camilla had a much closer relationship with her family growing up.
She was the eldest of three children to Rosalind and Bruce Shand. The upper-class family spent a lot of their time at a country estate in East Sussex. It’s believed this is what inspired her love for the outdoors.
Her parents were happily married and raised all three of their children. Along with their country estate, the family also had a house in London. It’s believed Camilla had a “boisterous and joyful” childhood.
Throughout Camilla’s childhood she enjoyed spending time with dogs and horses. Her father used to read to her a lot, which led to her becoming an avid reader as she grew up. She herself once described her life as a child as “perfect in every way”.
How Prince William dealt with grief of losing his mum Princess Diana at 15
Born in June 1982, Prince William is the eldest son of Princess Diana and King Charles. One thing that was apparent from a young age was that his mother would try to raise him and brother Harry as normal as possible.
Diana made sure to arrange her working schedule around her children and family, even arranging for William to accompany her and Charles on a royal visit to Australia when he was nine months old so he wasn’t without them.
Throughout his childhood, William was spotted doing ‘normal’ things with his mum. For example she took them to visit homeless shelters and took them on the tube many times.
William was always close with Diana. It was reported that when he was nine years old he booked a table at her favourite restaurant to cheer her up one day.
In 2012, William opened up to ABC News about his childhood. He revealed: “She [Diana] wanted to get us to see the rawness of real life. And I can’t thank her enough for that.”
Prince William attended Eton College
William experienced life very differently from his father growing up. At various times Diana would even bring her sons to McDonald’s, or amusement parks where they had to wait in line like everyone else.
By 13, William enrolled at Eton College, which strayed from the royal family normalcy when it came to the children. But by the time he enrolled, his parents had split and tensions were on the rise in his life.
He faced hard times in school when he was reportedly teased over photos of Diana sunbathing topless in Spain after were published. But after words of encouragement from his mum, he stayed focused on getting his education.
However, just before he graduated, at the young age of 15, he lost his mother. This of course changed his life and had a lasting impact on him. He spoke in 2019 about the pain he dealt with privately after the loss.
He said: “I could feel it brewing up inside me and I could feel it was going to take its toll and be a real problem.”
Where did Kate Middleton grow up?
Royal Kate Middleton grew up in a happy family home in the village of Bucklebury in Berkshire, but she and the Middleton’s other children spent the early years of her life living at West View in Bradfield Southend, Berkshire. Her parents purchased the two-bedroom semi-detached house before they temporarily moved overseas to Amman, Jordan between 1984 and 1986.
Kate has two younger siblings – sister Pippa and brother James.
When it came to school she attended Bradfield Church of England primary school which just so happened to be next door to her.
Kate and her sister were described as “quite easygoing, ordinary children” by their Brownie leader Jane Scutter.
In 1995 the family moved to a five-bedroom house called Oak Acre at The Avenue in Bucklebury, Berkshire.
Kate admits she had ‘very happy’ childhood
On an episode of Giovanna Fletcher’s podcast Happy Mum, Happy Baby, Kate opened up about her childhood.
She revealed: “I had a very happy childhood. It was great fun. My parents were hugely dedicated to us. They would come to every sports match and they’d be the ones on the side-line shouting. And we would always have family holidays together.”
When Kate was once asked what she enjoyed most about her younger years, she confessed it was “spending time outside”.
Prince Harry admits early childhood was ‘filled with laughter’
Prince Harry was raised the same way William was; as normal as possible by Diana and Charles. In his 2022 Netflix docuseries, Harry admitted his childhood was “filled with laughter, filled with happiness, and filled with adventure”.
Diana always tried to be as hands on as possible with her children, but obviously as the brothers were still royals, there would be a part of their family childhood that would never be ordinary.
While their nanny would ensure they were eating healthy meals, rebellious Harry once forged a note with William from their nanny to try and get them fast food.
Along with taking trips on the Tube and to amusement parks, Harry would spend a lot of his childhood on the slopes in Austria and Switzerland. It’s said that while William would be ‘cautious’, Harry used to race downhill after a few hours of coaching.
Despite being sent to expensive schools, Harry’s old teacher Ms Levin once admitted he “seemed happiest in his own little world, without interference”.
Prince Harry suffered ‘genetic pain’ in royal family
Although Harry had praised his mother’s parenting skills, he seemed to have criticised his father’s. On Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, Harry admitted he “experienced some form of pain or suffering” because of what his father had experienced in his own childhood.
He continued: “It’s a lot of genetic pain and suffering that gets passed.” And while he emphasised he didn’t want to place blame, he went on to state what he would do differently to his father.
It seems the change in his childhood memories came after he tragically lost his mum, Diana.
Diana’s death notably took a toll on Harry – who was just 12 years old at the time. And in recent years he spoke out about how he refused to actually believe she was gone for a while.
Meghan Markle’s childhood in America
The Duchess of Sussex did not experience the same upbringing as the royal part of her family did as children. Meghan was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Her parents, Doria Ragland and Thomas Markle divorced when she was quite young, but both remained involved in her life. Her father’s presence was severely damaged after she and Harry became an item.
However, it seemed she was actually primarily raised by Thomas up until she graduated, and in her blog The Tig, she referred to him as being the “best dad anyone could ask for”.
The Duchess of Sussex went to private schools throughout her life; Hollywood Little Red Schoolhouse and all-girls Catholic school, Immaculate Heart High School.
Meghan Markle’s parents and siblings
While she experienced a lot of racism growing up, Meghan has said that her father would be the one to always try to make her feel special, and not different from anyone else.
Despite having siblings, Meghan was raised as an only child because of the age difference between her and her half-siblings. She claimed she actually rarely ever saw her half-siblings.
Her childhood seemed typical to any other middle-class girl growing up in LA, but from a young age Meghan always wanted to speak up on issues that affected the world.
At age 11 Meghan and her classmates wrote to Procter and Gamble to gender-neutralise a dishwashing soap advertisement on national television. This marked the beginning of her philanthropist lifestyle.
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