Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, General News 4: Apr 2018-Sep 2022

[Fem]

Maybe they think it needed to be said after a year of Covid? Maybe William is feeling his mother’s loss very acutely with everything going on? Maybe it really is an unsubtle “don’t hijack her just for you, Harry!” shot? Maybe he just really wanted them to do a tribute? Maybe Charlotte and George wanted to as they did cards to everyone else? No doubt PR was also a factor but that can be applied even in normal times.

Before anyone jumps at me, this is a joke, but maybe the Cambridges were desperate for finding the little ones something to do?

But I do agree with you. Over the last few years there was so many talk about how "Harry is his mother's son" that I could hardly remember Diana had one more son... So maybe William needed a little pick me up after this year and this week, and what's better than handmade cards remembering his mother from his own children?

This was lovely and I'm so glad the Cambridges are feeling comfortable with sharing these kind of things/moments publicly. The cards, the cake, it did bring a smile to my face.

 

[camelot23ca]

Lovely cards! However, the Diana part is a bit "odd". I understand the purpose of mother's day and William remembering his dear mother. But I fail to understand the kids' part, because they clearly wrote what their parents told them to. How can you miss someone you never met? I have no doubts that William shares many stories of his mother with his children, but that's not my point if you know what I mean....

I imagine after George was born Kate and William would bring him to the Middletons’ for Mother’s Day visits and my guess would be the cards to Diana “from George” began at the same time, as a way to help William more than anything. It must have been bittersweet for him to see Kate’s mother no doubt fall in love with George, and then Charlotte and Louis, and have the chance to experience so much with them, knowing that he’d never get a chance to see his mother do the same.

I don’t think their parents told them what to write. The cards sound like what you’d expect from children of George and Charlotte’s age when you’ve sat them down and asked them what they’d like to write for Granny Diana’s card this year. “I love you.” “I miss you.” “Papa misses you.” To a certain extent they’re probably parroting back things William has told when he’s talked to them about Diana, but that’s how kids learn to express their feelings.

 

[TLLK]

Fem-Wouldn't be surprised to see one or both parents organizing little surprises for the mother and grandmothers. Until they're old enough to create something without some supervision from parents, yes they'll need some adults to help oversee. Wouldn't be surprised if William helped out with the cake for Catherine or at least asked for some advice from the family's housekeeper. His cooking/baking skills just might have improved from those days at St. Andrews.

 

[Sunnystar]

A great PR exercise by Kensington Palace for Mother’s Day UK. Anyone looking at that cake would know that a seven and five year old couldnt be responsible for it. They may both have stirred the mixture and stuck some of the decorations on top, I don’t know, but I do know that was not baked by primary school kids, let alone a two year old. Probably baked IMO in the KP apartment kitchen by domestic staff.

Huh? The only part of that cake that I questioned being done by the kids was the frosting on the top. The rest of it looked like a fairly standard, 2-layer cake that you would bake in a round pan and remove after it's cooled. Not something too hard for kids Charlotte & George's age to handle with some parental supervision. Even the frosting could have been homemade (again, not hard) though I do suspect as neat as the piping was that a parent handled that part while the other one supervised making the pipette hearts. Really, my nieces and nephew made cakes like that at that age with the supervision of their older family members.

 

[Curryong]

I disagree. I’ve had three kids, have four grandchildren including six year old twins who are quite independent. I don’t think, or believe that the pictured cake was made by a seven and five year old. I just don’t. MO.

 

[CrownPrincessJava]

Lovely cards! However, the Diana part is a bit "odd". I understand the purpose of mother's day and William remembering his dear mother. But I fail to understand the kids' part, because they clearly wrote what their parents told them to. How can you miss someone you never met? I have no doubts that William shares many stories of his mother with his children, but that's not my point if you know what I mean.


I used cursive writing as a child. I think all kids in Elementary School use cursive in Portugal. But when you go to Middle School that changes a bit. I began using computers and phone when I went to Middle School and that influenced my writing. Though that was 20 years ago...

I agree. When I saw the cards, I was uncomfortable, because clearly they are used as PR and as what Kathia-Sophia wrote. The cake is very obviously made by someone in KP with the children decorating it, but it is still sweet.

I would have preferred to see the kid's card to Catherine and William writing a card like that for his mum. Then it would have felt less PR-like

 

[Eskimo]

Charlotte’s message makes sense. Papa is missing you and I love you (presumably because Papa loves you and I love papa). George’s is a bit muddled.

For those wondering if this is PR... EVERYTHING any of the RF put out for public consumption is PR. They know how this game is played.

Also, I’m sure the kids had some help make the cake (or were not involved in the baking process at all)

 

[Osipi]

I've learned never to underestimate what a child can do. As a Brownie Girl Scout leader (ages 6-8), these girls planned a "King for a Day" feast for their fathers and actually did cook the entire meal themselves (with supervision of course) and set the tables and seated their dads (with crowns on) and served the meal. Us women leaders then remained upstairs while the dinner was in progress and let the party go on. They also cleaned up all the mess (basically) and went home with their daddies. It was a huge success.

I've been down and out and restricted by my doctor from doing *anything* and had a defrosted turkey in the refrigerator. I was able to sit at a kitchen table and direct my three young kids (oldest was around 8 or 9 at the time) to make the entire turkey dinner. It was fun. Send the turkey swimming (rinsing the bird completely), feed him well (stuff it) and then send it camping in a tent (to the oven!). The side dishes were basic ones but we *did* have a turkey dinner and the kids were so proud that they did it themselves. It was a close family thing and its one that hasn't ever been forgotten. Its not how it was done or how properly it was done but the reason it was done. That's what matters in a family. My kids actually used to fight over who got to help mom make the dinners. It was a totally different story thought when it came to doing the dirty dishes though.

ETA: I forgot to mention that the entire troop went shopping for all the ingredients needed to make the dinner for the dads. That was part of the planning.

 

[yukari]

I disagree. I’ve had three kids, have four grandchildren including six year old twins who are quite independent. I don’t think, or believe that the pictured cake was made by a seven and five year old. I just don’t. MO.

I'm in the opinion that Catherine had a hand in making that cake with some "participation" from the kids.

But it's not impossible for a kid at George's age to bake. There's this TV Show called Masterchef Junior, one of the youngest winner was 9 years old girl. In on season, an 8 years old girl managed to reach the big 4. Seriously, some of those kids are better cook than me.

 

[Moran]

My five-year-old niece can and has baked cakes like this, minus the frosting. Adult part in it is mostly making sure that she doesn't send anything flying over the edge of the kitchen counter and steadying her hand from time to time. If I could have nailed the bowls and pans down to the counter, I would have. She also isn't allowed to actually approach the oven.



She gets it from her mum, though. Neither her dad nor I could do such a thing until we were ten or something. That is to say, it depends on the kid.

 

[moby]

I think the Mother's Day cards to Diana were a nice way to bring to light the recent shift towards remembering the dead on these occasions and acknowledging the grief they bring for a lot of people whose mothers are long gone. I do think they put a lot of thought into bringing this reality to light, especially with the pandemic having taken away lots of mothers, without exploiting the Diana connection. Hence why they posted a photo of Catherine and Carole but no photo of William and Diana.

So I find it a great idea to make it about the grandkids and how it is their loss too, rather than William speaking about his grief, though like his brother he has every right to do so. Unfortunately that would have been picked apart and seen to compete with Harry's more recent comments on the subject.

About the cake, of course the kids didn't make that! How many parents or aunts and uncles post photos of pastries "baked" by their kids/nieces/nephews when all the latter did was mix the ingredients together.

 

[Lady Daly]

Thank you for posting these sweet cards, exemplary parenting skills from the Cambridges.

 

[Springbee]

When I saw the cards it reminded me a bit of seeing HM and Philip looking at the card George, Charlotte and Louis made for their anniversary.

That is what I thought of too.

 

[Alison H]

I'm sure we're not meant to think that they baked the cake with no help. You wouldn't let children that age near a hot oven without supervision, apart from anything else.


Interesting that they call Prince William "Papa". It's very, very unusual now: even for Prince Charles's generation, it was unusual. Not that I'd thought about it much, but I'd have assumed they called him "Daddy". I assume they call Catherine "Mummy" and not "Mama".


It's so hard to explain to a child about a grandparent they never met. They probably call Camilla "Grandma" or "Granny", unless they call her "Auntie Camilla", and we know how close they are to Carole, and it must always be bittersweet for William, knowing that Diana will never know them. With what would have been her 60th birthday coming up, maybe he thought that this was the right year to do this.

 

[AC21091968]

I'm sure we're not meant to think that they baked the cake with no help. You wouldn't let children that age near a hot oven without supervision, apart from anything else.


Interesting that they call Prince William "Papa". It's very, very unusual now: even for Prince Charles's generation, it was unusual. Not that I'd thought about it much, but I'd have assumed they called him "Daddy". I assume they call Catherine "Mummy" and not "Mama".


It's so hard to explain to a child about a grandparent they never met. They probably call Camilla "Grandma" or "Granny", unless they call her "Auntie Camilla", and we know how close they are to Carole, and it must always be bittersweet for William, knowing that Diana will never know them. With what would have been her 60th birthday coming up, maybe he thought that this was the right year to do this.

It seems that "Papa" and "Mama" are more prominent in the royal family. Princess Eugenie on most occasion called her parents "Papa" and "Mumma" on instagram rather than "Daddy" and "Mummy". Perhaps Papa/Mumma sounds more "grown-up" than Daddy and Mummy, but not too formal as father and mother.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMZ-DkcFFMf/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8wkaSTF_Is/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzx4T3QFzjw/
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByLYyFuFZdp/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-CenzKlB2J/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3pZW1aFYDT/

However, there are some occasions when Eugenie address her parents differently (i.e. Pups, mumsy, father, mother)
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByxhKU9F6mi/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGXRK26Fj9O/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBtOPaylvvc/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgLiVPygkQN/

 

[SLV]

Of course the children baked the cake with (a lot of ) help from their mother. Let them stirr the batter three times and they wil proudly say that they made it. Little Louis could even claim that he helped, because he was allowed to lick off the remaining batter of the spoon.
Baking with children is fun, seeing their proud faces when presenting the result is amazing.
And of course posting the drawings and cake is PR, that is how things work. I can image that W&C asked George and Charlotte permission to post their creations, they are old (and smart) enough to grasp the basics of these things.
I do think it is weird that they would write that they love and miss their grandmother. You cannot really love/miss someone you have never known. The 'papa misses you' makes much more sense.
I applaud their handwriting!! Schools here in the Netherlands are starting to switch from cursive into 'bookletters' more and more. Which makes sense, when learning letters, but means children have terrible handwriting. After moving house and school, my girls (then 7&9) are now in a school that still teaches cursive. They couldn't even read it and especially my eldest daughter's handwriting is horrible. The other uses now a mix of cursive and bookletters, and is slighty better.

 

[SLV]

In Dutch we use papa/mama too (pron. pápa/máma), but I am curious how the RF pronounces it. I think I remember Diana say pápa when talking about the (then) boys calling their father, but in British costume drama's like Pride and Prejudice they say papá.
Do we know?

 

[Osipi]

As young kid, my brother blurted out and called my grandmother and grandfather "Mimi and Pipi". It stuck for some reason and all the other groups in the family said Grandma and Grandpa. My mom and dad when I had kids ended up being Grammy and Bumpa. Kids sometimes come up with their very own special names.

Just because a child never met one of his grandmothers, it doesn't mean that they aren't very real to them. How many children identify so easily with fictional characters such as Elsa or Ariel or Peter Pan? If the parent keeps the memory alive of their mother with their children, that person can and does become very real to them. The point being that George, Charlotte and Louis know there's Granny Diana and Granny Carol and Gran Camilla and Gan-Gan. When they're old enough, they'll understand the concept of death. Its a gradual process.

On that note as an aside. There is a wonderful children's book that I give out to friends with kids that have lost a loved one. It's called "The Fall Of Freddy The Leaf" by Leo Buscalgia.

 

[Jacknch]

In Dutch we use papa/mama too (pron. pápa/máma), but I am curious how the RF pronounces it. I think I remember Diana say pápa when talking about the (then) boys calling their father, but in British costume drama's like Pride and Prejudice they say papá.
Do we know?

The first vowel is usually very short and second vowel longer - so.. p'pa and m'ma with the last part rhyming exactly like "far"

 

[SLV]

So, with the emphasis on the first 'pa', just like we do. Thanks.

The first vowel is usually very short and second vowel longer - so.. p'pa and m'ma with the last part rhyming exactly like "far"

 

[US Royal Watcher]

I'm in the opinion that Catherine had a hand in making that cake with some "participation" from the kids.

But it's not impossible for a kid at George's age to bake. There's this TV Show called Masterchef Junior, one of the youngest winner was 9 years old girl. In on season, an 8 years old girl managed to reach the big 4. Seriously, some of those kids are better cook than me.

I hope it was William rather than Catherine assisting with the cake. If following a recipe to make a cake is beyond William's capacity, my husband was very fond of using boxed cake mixes. Also, I have no doubt the children helped make the cake, as George helped make Christmas pudding two years ago.

 

[SLV]

You are very right. It might as well been William who did the baking with the children.

I hope it was William rather than Catherine assisting with the cake. If following a recipe to make a cake is beyond William's capacity, my husband was very fond of using boxed cake mixes. Also, I have no doubt the children helped make the cake, as George helped make Christmas pudding two years ago.

 

[kathia_sophia]

Of course the kids did not bake the "whole" cake by themselves. But they surely helped mix the eggs, sugar, flour, etc...While the decoration was done by an adult.

 

[TLLK]

I hope it was William rather than Catherine assisting with the cake. If following a recipe to make a cake is beyond William's capacity, my husband was very fond of using boxed cake mixes. Also, I have no doubt the children helped make the cake, as George helped make Christmas pudding two years ago.

Considering the past year that we've all experienced, I wouldn't be surprised if William's baking skills have improved.

 

[Alison H]

So, with the emphasis on the first 'pa', just like we do. Thanks.

It's more like Pa-PAH and Ma-MAH, like in Pride and Prejudice as you said. It's usually only used by upper-class families, but even they'd generally changed to Mother and Father by the mid 20th century and Mum and Dad by the late 20th century. It just surprised me that the Cambridge children would use it, because it's so unusual now.

 

[Prinsara]

It's more like Pa-PAH and Ma-MAH, like in Pride and Prejudice as you said. It's usually only used by upper-class families, but even they'd generally changed to Mother and Father by the mid 20th century and Mum and Dad by the late 20th century. It just surprised me that the Cambridge children would use it, because it's so unusual now.

If it's what George VI (and George V and Edward VII) said, and Elizabeth and Philip said, and Charles said, and William said (and we know Harry has used "Pa" and George has used "Pops" on occasion), why is it so unusual for his children? You generally go with what you know. Not to mention they are royalty and a little different, after all. Or it might only be Charlotte who does it, and George still sticks to "Pops".

 

[BriarRose]

Just because a child never met one of his grandmothers, it doesn't mean that they aren't very real to them. How many children identify so easily with fictional characters such as Elsa or Ariel or Peter Pan? If the parent keeps the memory alive of their mother with their children, that person can and does become very real to them.

My kids are right at George & Charlotte's ages, and they started last year asking a lot of questions about where my grandparents are, and where my brother is (all three passed away a long time ago). Their curiosity is natural, and I talk often about my brother because of their questions. If there was such a thing as 'Uncle's day' in my country, I could absolutely see my kids wanting to make cards about their deceased Uncle.

Their "Granny Diana" was one of the most famous women in the Western World in the 80's and 90's, and by all accounts, William loved her dearly. It would be very odd to me if William didn't talk about her to his children, and strange if his family never acknowledged her absence in their lives.

[What we don't know (because the Middletons prefer a more private life) is whether they also made cards for Grandma Carole. I would guess that they did, and wanted to make cards for both of their grandmothers.]

If George and Charlotte attend the statue unveiling this Summer, I think it's also a good idea to not make that event the very first time George and Charlotte publicly acknowledge Diana's absence in their lives. That day will likely be very overwhelming enough with the press and public.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

In Downton Abbey Master George, the heir hears his maternal grandmother speak of the Dowager Countess, his great-grandmother as Granny Violet.
It is nice that the two grandmothers of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis have two different titles: Grandma Carole and Granny Diana.
Would you prefer Prince Louis to call one of the grandmothers Grandmama?

 

[Osipi]

Remember too that the kid's name for Queen Elizabeth II is "Gan-Gan". That started with George, I believe. ?

 

[SLV]

Didn't the greatgrandchildren call the Queen Mother that?