Prince William and Princess Kate have chosen to prioritize their roles as parents to Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis over an extensive number of public engagements, breaking away from the traditions of previous generations in the royal family.
Royal author Gareth Russell defended the couple, highlighting their commitment to being present for their children amid criticism for their relatively low number of public engagements in 2023. William attended over 170 engagements, while Kate conducted 123, in contrast to Princess Anne's 457 engagements.
Russell explained on GB News that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are intent on challenging the longstanding tradition of royals sacrificing time with their children for official duties. He noted, "There inevitably has to be a trade-off in this.
You can either have royals who commit to as many engagements as the Queen Mother or the Queen or Prince Philip did. But the upshot of that is that they won't spend as much time day-to-day with their children."
The author of "The Palace: From the Tudors to the Windsors" emphasized that the couple's choice reflects a shift in priorities, putting family first. He added, "So either you have royals who continue to work as publicly and as often as they did before, or you have royals who perhaps raise happier families.
It's worth noting that of all the royals ahead of them, none of them have young children. So this is what it looks like when the family part of the Royal Family takes precedence for the first time."
The couple's decision to balance their public duties with family life is seen as a modern approach, reflecting changing attitudes toward the role of royals in contemporary society.
