Carole Middleton’s special time with Prince George, Charlotte and Louis is when she "allows" them to enjoy a rather unroyal experience.
Over the years Carole Middleton has been described as "indispensable" to Prince William and Kate when it comes to helping to look after their three young children. Since the Wales family have moved to Adelaide Cottage they’re even closer to the Princess of Wales’s parents and it’s likely Prince George, Charlotte and Louis still see a huge amount of their Middleton granny. When Carole spends special time with her grandchildren, there’s one thing she believes it’s "important" for them to fully embrace - even if that means getting rather messy.
As reported by the MailOnline, Carole previously opened up to Saga magazine in their May 2021 issue about how her grandchildren help with planting at her home. According to her, time outdoors is key and Carole believes "allowing" her grandkids to get "muddy" is necessary, even if it's unexpected for a royal.
"It's important for children to grow up appreciating nature and part of that is allowing them to get a bit muddy," she explained, after revealing that she sets out "activity stations" to help keep her grandkids engaged with gardening.
Carole said, "If I'm doing planting with my grandchildren I like to have it all laid out at 'activity stations' with their own little trowel and pot so they can get started immediately. It's no good calling children over to an activity, only for you then to have to fuss about looking for the right equipment and clearing a space. They'll soon lose interest and slope off."
It’s likely that as her oldest grandchildren, Prince George, Charlotte and Louis have enjoyed plenty of planting time with Carole over the years. We are used to seeing them dressed immaculately and behaving their best at royal events or in family photos. Because of this, it might be tricky to imagine them getting all "muddy" and throwing themselves into gardening at Bucklebury Manor.
However, Carole’s belief that "allowing" them to get messy outside as they appreciate the great outdoors is something Kate shares too. Speaking on Giovanna Fletcher’s Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast in 2020 the future Queen said she’s always happy when she and her family are "getting filthy dirty" outside in the countryside.
She reflected that her own granny did so much with her - including gardening - and Kate added that she’s keen for Prince George, Charlotte and Louis to have those same experiences.
"I remember that from childhood, my amazing granny devoted so much time to us. Playing, doing arts and crafts, cooking, gardening. I try and incorporate that into experiences I give my children now," she said. "As children, we spent a lot of time outside and it’s something I’m really passionate about."
So whilst getting muddy in the garden might not be considered very "royal" as a hobby, Kate and Carole clearly share a belief that it’s a key part of growing up. In her Saga interview Carole elaborated and suggested that "there's no better way to encourage healthy eating than to allow your grandchildren to see how food is grown and let them pick their own".
Whilst Prince George, Charlotte and Louis are gently being introduced to public life, it seems that they’re also being encouraged to enjoy a range of humble, nature-focused activities with their family. Gardening, getting muddy and generally enjoying time in nature is likely very grounding and balances the high-profile side of being young royals.
