Category Archives: Princess Charlotte of Cambridge

My column in the Globe and Mail: Why William and Kate are bringing their children on royal visit to Canada

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The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George arrive in Sydney. Photo credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George arrive in Sydney. Photo credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

My column in today’s Globe and Mail discusses royal children and royal tours.

“Royal children on tour influence popular perceptions of the monarchy in two ways. First, they create a personal bond between royal parents and the public – parenting provides common ground between royalty and people of all backgrounds.

Second, royal children personify the future of the monarchy. Like Queen Victoria during the last years of her reign, Elizabeth now has three generations of direct heirs. At various points over the course of her long reign, there has been debate about the future of the monarchy. The presence of George and Charlotte in the coming royal visit demonstrates the potential for the monarchy to enjoy public support in Canada and the wider Commonwealth for generations to come.”

Click here to read the full column in the Globe and Mail

CBC News Interview: Is Will and Kate’s Canadian tour a celebrity appearance like any other?

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry at The 2011 Sun Military Awards at Imperial War Museum in London. (Photo by Arthur Edwards - WPA Pool/Getty Images

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry at The 2011 Sun Military Awards at Imperial War Museum in London. (Photo by Arthur Edwards – WPA Pool/Getty Images

My latest interview with CBC.ca compares royal tours to celebrity appearances. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are often compared to celebrities because of their public profile but there are key differences between royal visits and celebrity travel including the connections between members of the royal family and Canadian institutions. I also discuss the role of royal parenting in shaping William and Kate’s public image.

Click here to read “Is Will and Kate’s Canadian tour a celebrity appearance like any other?”

CBC News Interview: Will Prince George and Princess Charlotte come to Canada? The pressures of taking the royal children on a trip

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The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George arrive in Sydney. Photo credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George arrive in Sydney. Photo credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

While I was on vacation this past week, CBC news published my interview about royal children and royal tours. Since the article was posted on Sunday, there have been reports that William and Kate, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will bring their two children Prince George and Princess Charlotte on their official tour of Canada next month. My interview discusses the history of royal children on Commonwealth tours and the impact of the presence of royal children on popular attitudes toward the monarchy.

Click here to read: Will Prince George and Princess Charlotte come to Canada? The pressures of taking the royal children on a trip

My book on royal parenting, Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting will be published by Dundurn Press in 2017. 

CBC The National Interview: William and Kate to Visit Canada

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in Canada in 2011

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in Canada in 2011

William and Kate, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be touring Canada for the second time as married couple in the fall of 2016. The 2016 tour will include British Columbia and the Yukon, a province and territory that were not part of the royal couple’s 2011 visit. The royal couple’s two children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte may accompany them to Canada.

I discussed the impact of royal children and royal tours on popular support for the monarchy with Ellen Mauro on The National.

Click here to watch the interview on CBC The National

My 3rd Book: Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting is now available for pre-order

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I am excited to announce that my 3rd book, Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting will be published by Dundurn Press on April 8, 2017.

The book examines How twenty-five sets of royal parents raised their children over the past thousand years, from keeping the Vikings at bay to fending off paparazzi.

William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, are setting trends for millions of parents around the world. The upbringing of their two children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, is the focus of intense popular scrutiny. Royalty have always raised their children in the public eye and attracted praise or criticism according to parenting standards of their day.

Royal parents have always faced unique privileges and challenges. In medieval times, raising an heir often meant raising a rival, and monarchs sometimes faced their grown children on the battlefield. Kings and queens who lost their thrones through wars or popular revolutions found solace in time spent with their children. In modern times, royal duties and overseas tours have often separated young princes and princesses from their parents, a circumstance that is slowly changing with the current generation of royalty.

The book is currently available for pre-order from Indigo, Amazon and other booksellers.

Click here to pre-order Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting from Amazon.ca

My other books also available from Amazon:

Magna Carta and Its Gifts to Canada: Democracy, Law, and Human Rights

Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette

CBC News Interview: Princess Charlotte’s christening: A balance between private celebration and public show

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The newborn Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (photo credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage)

The newborn Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (photo credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage)

Princess Charlotte of Cambridge’s christening will take place on Sunday July 5 at St. Mary Magdalene Church on the Queen’s Sandringham estate. The last Princess born into the royal family, Princess Eugenie, was christened there in 1990 as part of the regular Sunday service open to the public but Charlotte’s christening will be a balance between public and private. The ceremony will be attended by close family and godparents but the public will be able to gather outside the church to see the royal family as they do at Christmas.

Click here to read my interview with CBC News: Princess Charlotte’s christening: A balance between private celebration and public show

New Canadian Encyclopedia Article: Catherine (HRH The Duchess of Cambridge)

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The Duchess of Cambridge celebrates Canada Day in Ottawa, July 1, 2011

The Duchess of Cambridge celebrates Canada Day in Ottawa, July 1, 2011

My latest Canadian Encyclopedia article is a profile of The Duchess of Cambridge née Catherine “Kate” Middleton. I discuss how Kate has become famous worldwide for her philanthropy and fashion since her marriage to Prince William, and is closely associated with the modernization of the monarchy. In 2011, she toured Canada with William.

The Middleton family has a connection to Canada. Kate’s paternal grandfather, Peter Middleton, served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, including two years of training at No. 37 Service Flying Training School in Calgary, Alberta (now part of the Calgary International Airport).

Click here to read my article on The Duchess of Cambridge in the Canadian Encyclopedia

Hello! Canada Interview: The Life of a Princess

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The newborn Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (photo credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage)

The newborn Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (photo credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage)

I talked to Hello! Canada about the lives of Princesses past and present for the magazine’s special edition on the birth of Princess Charlotte.

Click here to read  The Life of a Princess in Hello! Canada

Interview: What does ‘Occupation: Princess’ mean? Here’s what the royals actually do

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The Duchess of Cambridge celebrates Canada Day in Ottawa, July 1, 2011

The Duchess of Cambridge celebrates Canada Day in Ottawa, July 1, 2011

My latest interview for Yahoo Shine Canada discusses the wide range of official duties performed by royalty today. Since the reign of King George III, philanthropy has been a key role for royalty, especially princesses. Queen Victoria’s five daughters all assumed charitable patronages, many of which were devoted to the health and education of women and girls. Today, representing Queen Elizabeth II at official engagements is also an important role for members of the royal family. The Queen and Prince Philip have reduced their overseas travel in recent years and their children and grandchildren often represent them outside the United Kingdom.

Click here to read “What does ‘Occupation: Princess’ mean? Here’s what the royals actually do” at Yahoo Shine Canada

Interview: Royal baby: Will there be a boom of babies in Canada named after Princess Charlotte?

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The newborn Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (photo credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage)

The newborn Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (photo credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage)

My interview with Melissa Dunne at Yahoo Shine Canada discusses the impact of royalty on baby name choices. Until the First World War, marriages between British royalty and foreign royalty made new names popular in the English speaking world. In medieval times, Eleanor and Isabelle entered England through royal marriages while the eighteenth century saw Caroline and Charlotte become popular girls names due to royal influence.

Royalty who resided in Canada for long periods of time had a unique impact on Canadian baby name trends. From 1878 to 1883, Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Louise and her husband, Lord Lorne resided in Canada while Lorne was Governor General. The presence of Royalty at Rideau Hall made “Lorne” and “Louise” popular Canadian baby names in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. (For more on Princess Louise and Lord Lorne in Canada, see the chapter I contributed to Canada and the Crown: Essays in Constitutional Monarchy.)

Click here to read “Royal baby: Will there be a boom of babies in Canada named after Princess Charlotte?”

For more on the royal impact on royal baby name trends, see one of my past articles on this site, “There’s something about Harry. The Royal Influence on Baby Name Trends”