Will and Kate as Parents: Following Diana’s Lead

When Prince Charles was only two, his mother, Queen Elizabeth, left him to celebrate Christmas with his grandparents while she visited her husband who was stationed in Malta. It's unlikely that the new royal baby boy will be spending important holidays without his doting parents. Just as they seem comfortable with being referred to as "Will and Kate" by millions of royal-watchers, its predicted that the Duke and Duchess's of Cambridge's parenting style will be warm, casual, and hands-on.

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"Prince William benefitted from Diana's attempts to provide a normal childhood," Arianne Chernock, a professor Boston College and expert on British royal history, tells Yahoo! Shine. Diana broke with royal tradition in many of her parenting choices-starting right from birth. Diana was the royal mum to deliver her babies in a hospital. It's also speculated that she was the first to breastfeed them.

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According to Judy Wade, who reported on the royal family for Hello Magazine during Diana's years in the palace, every morning Will and Harry would bound into her bedroom and jump into her bed for a hug. That's a stark contrast to Queen Elizabeth, who often shook her son Charles's hand rather than embracing him.

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Middleton's upbringing will also have an influence. The first commoner in 350 years to marry an heir to the throne, Kate had a normal, albeit affluent, childhood in Bucklebury, Berkshire, attending a nearby private school, participating in school plays and excelling in sports. Not only did she stay during the weeks leading up to her delivery in her parents, Carole and Michael's, home, she plans on spending time there to recuperate with her new son. "Kate is very close to Carole and an awful lot of young women, when they have had a baby, like being with their mum," royal biographer Penny Junor told the National Post, "I suspect that William not only approves of that idea, but may even be driving it."
Its important to note that Kate and Will's style will also be a reflection of current parenting norms that encourage both mother and fathers to be closer and less formal with their children-royal or not. Chernock points out that when Prince Charles was born in 1948, Queen Elizabeth was grappling with the pressures of being a young, female monarch in a highly conservative era. Her public persona as a proper mother, which has been analyzed retrospectively as "cold," may have been part of her efforts to master the formalities and requirements of her station. "The palace has been increasingly releasing private footage of the royal family," says Chernock, "which reveals a warmer presence."

Even Queen Victoria, who supposedly described her nine children as "frogs," has gotten a something bad rap as a mother. "She made them very central to her reign," counters Chernock, "and Prince Albert was also very hands on. There are pictures of him on all fours with the kids hanging all over him."

Like all royals before them, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be tasked with gracefully navigating their family's public and private lives. They most keep their subjects enthralled by a tradition, which is seen by some as increasingly irrelevant, and at the same time, hold them at manageable, healthy distance. One of their greatest challenges as parents will be, despite their best intentions, providing a semblance of normalcy in the 24/7 news cycle. Now, more than ever, the royal baby will grow up in the glare of paparazzi and cell phone cameras.

Between Twitter and the Internet, there will be no lack of advice sent their way-and much of it from other celebrities. Already Snooki, new mom and Princess of the Jersey Shore, has sent her words of wisdom in a letter she posted on YourTango: "In the beginning, right when you take your royal golden nugget home to the castle is the most exciting experience of your life. I couldn't wait to wake up in the middle of the night to take care of my little prince Lorenzo," it reads in part, "But that lasts for about a few days. Then it's like, 'I love you, but OMG stop crying! I'm exhausted.' The lack of sleep you will get used to-just do your makeup, put a tiara on, and you'll look beautiful as usual."