William and Kate share the important lesson they're teaching George, Charlotte and Louis
They hope it will help them 'grow'
The Prince and Princess of Wales have often spoken about how they parent their three young children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. William and Kate have consistently favoured a more modern approach over royal traditions, from their 'hands off' attitude to the use of a chat sofa and even encouraging employees not to wear suits when they work from their home, Adelaide Cottage, to avoid creating a 'stuffy' atmosphere around their little ones.
While the Wales' children all have their own hobbies and interests, there is one thing that bonds the family: sports. George is a keen football fan and has often been seen attending games alongside his father, while Charlotte enjoys the tennis and had the best reactions to the the men's final match at Wimbledon this summer.
According to William and Kate, they ensure that sports and games are a part of the little ones childhoods - but have emphasised that losing is a part of that experience, and they want to teach George, Charlotte and Louis the importance of taking a loss in order to help them 'grow'.
During a conversation on Mike Tindall's podcast The Good The Bad and The Rugby in September, William said that the biggest benefit of team sports was 'learning to lose', explaining: "I think we've got to concentrate more on [that] nowadays. I think people don't know how to lose well. Talking about our children particularly, I want to make sure they understand that."
He continued: "I think it's really important from a young age to understand how to lose, and why we lose, and to grow from it and what you learn from that process. But also to win well, and not boast. There's so many life lessons that help us all through life, in friendship building, in relationship building, workplace, that you gain from those early years of playing team sport."
Going on to discuss how they navigate competitive spirit as a couple, Mike compared William and Kate to Monica and Ross from Friends, to which the Princess responded: "I'm really not that competitive, I don't know where this has come from!"
She also added that she has never been able to complete a game of tennis with her husband as it 'becomes a mental challenge between the two of us'.
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Jadie Troy-Pryde is News Editor, covering celebrity and entertainment, royal, lifestyle and viral news. Before joining the team in 2018 as the Lifestyle and Social Media Editor, she worked at a number of women’s fashion and lifestyle titles including Grazia, Women’s Health and Stylist, and now heads the Marie Claire UK news desk.
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