Kate and William’s royal etiquette once slammed in stinging rebuke

Princess Kate and Prince William have often been praised for their affable approach to royalty. The Prince and Princess of Wales have often made their desire for a normal life known, most recently demonstrated by their move from Kensington Palace in London to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor. However, the couple have previously been criticised for their venture into ‘normality’, with one of the UK’s leading etiquette consultants claiming the royals are ‘not supposed to be like ‘one of us’.’ Having worked within VIP households, and advised businesses and diplomats, William Hanson is a leading expert in etiquette and protocol. He provided analysis and insight into the royal weddings of William and Kate, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and Princess Eugenie to Jack Brooksbank, as well commentary on the Diamond and Platinum Jubilees. Writing for the Daily Mail in 2016, Mr Hanson expressed his concern for the future of the monarchy and the younger generation of royals when he said: ‘We have a bit of a problem. The Royal Family have become too normal.’While he admitted that his apprehension did not apply to all of them, saying there is ‘still a good handful who get the balance right,’ he issued a warning: ‘It’s the younger generation who need to be careful.’The etiquette expert insisted he had a ‘wish for our Royal Family to last for time immemorial,’ but added: ‘At the current rate, that just isn’t going to happen.’READ MORE: Meghan reveals ‘most embarrassing’ habit and admits to ‘cowering’ from power Kate and William were once slammed for being ‘too normal’ (Image: Getty Images) Mr Hanson expressed his concern over the future of the Royal Family (Image: Getty Images) A new photograph of William and Kate, which featured on a thank you card they sent well-wishers (Image: Paul Ratcliffe/Twitter)The etiquette expert praised the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, as well as King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla for their ‘balance between affable and regal,’ adding: ‘For me, royalty should be royal. They are not supposed to be like ‘one of us’. They must all be nice people, yes (and they are), but it seems that it’s now all a bit too chummy and informal. It won’t last if this continues.’Kate and William’s responsibilities have ramped up in recent years, particularly following the exit of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in early 2020. They are widely regarded as the ‘future of the monarchy,’ and have earned popularity among the public. Dissimilar to Mr Hanson’s concerns, some commentators have pointed to their ‘normality’ as a key reason for their favourability. Paul Burrell, former butler to Diana, Princess of Wales, joined TV star Vicky Pattison on her The Secret To podcast in 2020 to discuss the popularity of Kate and William.DON’T MISS Meghan Markle admitted she has a ‘food fixation’ on podcast [INSIGHT]Who is your favourite member of the Royal Family? [POLL]Prince Harry ‘obsessed’ with staying relevant over Prince George [REVEALED] Kate and William are deemed the ‘future of the monarchy’ (Image: Express.co.uk)Mr Burrell said: ‘The royals are only there for as long as people want them to be there. They have to be relevant to the general public.’Ms Pattison added: ‘I do think Kate and Will do make the Royal Family approachable. For me, I look at them and can see them putting their kids to bed. I can see them having a little row over what to watch on Netflix. ‘Although they have so many amazing privileges that most normal people don’t, there is this really lovely underlying normality to them. I think that’s what makes them so popular. So I think they do an endless amount of good for the popularity of the Royal Family in the UK.’It has long been said that the Waleses wish to give their three young children – Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four – as normal an upbringing as possible.  Kate and William with their three children – George, Charlotte and Louis (Image: Getty Images)The Prince and Princess are aware of their children’s different royal destinies; while George is set to follow his grandfather and father as heir to the throne, Charlotte and Louis will embark on their own journeys as members of the Royal Family.It is understood that Kate and William prioritise being as present as possible with their family and often insist on doing school drop-offs, pickups and nightly dinners together. Their recent move to Windsor provides the family of five with a less confined lifestyle, with a friend of the couple telling PEOPLE magazine earlier this month that Kate and William live a life of a ‘modern Royal Family doing normal things’. They explained: ‘They love that the kids can go out on their bikes and cycle around the estate, and they are all really excited to meet everyone. It’s a real little community.’