Kate Middleton and Prince William have to follow five seriously weird parenting rules

The birth of a new baby is always an exciting time, and two royals, Kate Middleton and Prince William, know this well.

There’s the boy or girl surprise, the big reveal of the name, seeing their precious little face for the first time, and of course, those special first cuddles. Once all of that initial excitement is over, the reality of being a new parent strikes. There's the sleepless nights, the painful nipples, and the seemingly endless fountain of excrement.

But of course, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, have had a little practice in all of this by now, being the proud parents of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

Credit: PA

How do Kate Middleton and Prince William raise their children?

The saving grace of those tough first few years is that it's up to you how to raise your kids. If you want to send them off to a nursery with wild hair and a questionably put together outfit, that's cool. If you want to take them for a 2 am drive to try and settle them to sleep, go for it. However, the same can’t be said for the royals.

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In fact, there's a strange collection of rules that they have to follow to ensure they're bringing up their kids in the "proper" way. Here's a little insight into the wacky world of being a royal mum and dad.

William and George can’t travel together

In order to protect the safety of the royals, and ensure there’s always someone to take over if there’s an accident, protocol dictates that direct heirs cannot travel together.

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Nonetheless, William has already broken the rule a fair few times. He has frequently been seen stepping off of planes with his son. It is expected that by the time George turns 12, this will have to end. Which kind of begs the question, why 12? Would they let a 12-year-old on the throne?

Children have to be baptised in a certain way

It’s hard to know how any particular royal really feels about the concept of religion. But, with the Queen as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, they will always have to attend church services. And, their children will all be baptised in a specific fashion.

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Firstly, the all-important ceremony has to take place within the first few months of life. William, for example, was baptised at six weeks old.

Additionally, the royal baby will wear a very familiar outfit. It's a replica of a robe that was first designed for Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter back in 1841. And it's been used for every royal christening until 2008, when it was replaced with one that wasn't falling apart.

Monopoly is likely off the cards these days

For most families, a game of Monopoly is as much a part of Christmas as putting up the tree. But it’s not something that this clan will be playing during the annual Sandringham Christmas. When presented with a board in public, Prince Andrew admitted that royals no longer play the iconic game. He said that it gets "too vicious."

I don't know about you, but I think it might be old Queenie that takes take it too far and starts flinging chance cards at Prince Philip.

And there's an apparent dress code

Have you ever noticed that you’ve never seen a photo of Prince George slouching around in a pair of jeans? Or Princess Charlotte chilling in a tiny pair of tracksuit bottoms?

That’s because there are a few rules about how royal children dress for public events. Trousers are not to be worn until a boy reaches the age of seven or eight years old, and for girls, skirts are preferred to trousers. You have to spare a thought for the royal parents really. Strapping a three-year-old into a formal shirt can’t be too much fun!

PDA is largely frowned upon

While swapping spit with our latest love was pretty much a teenage rite of passage, it’s one look-back-and-cringe moment that the royal teenagers will have to miss out on.

While there’s no firm rule on public PDA, it's still generally considered a no-go for royalty... And you thought the time you were subjected to “the chat” was awkward.

Fortunately, it’s not all pomp when it comes to raising royal children. Both William and Kate have shared tidbits about the time they spend watching Fireman Sam and Peppa Pig with George. And with the way they're are going, and their much-expressed desire to give their children as normal a life as possible, there’s a good chance they’ll keep pushing the boundaries too.