Prince William And Kate Middleton Are Reportedly Making Efforts To Avoid Being Labeled As ‘Absentee Parents’

Prince William And Kate Middleton Don't Want To Be Labeled As 'Absentee Parents'

Many working parents can be labeled as absentee parents, especially if they miss certain milestones and events in their children's lives. And that's not something Prince William and Kate want to be labeled as – even if they *are* the future king and queen of England!

Although the Prince and Princess of Wales have received some criticism for not attending many royal engagements last year, royal author Gareth Russell came to their defense, and told GB News that their lack of official royal work is due to them refusing to be "painted as absentee parents."

"We can defend the couple in that this is what it looks like when royals prioritize their children and their home life," Russell said, before explaining that the Prince and Princess of Wales are probably one of the first royal parents to prioritize their young children over their royal duties.

"The previous generations of royals did not do this, with the result that they were often painted by their children and by many of their subjects as being absentee parents. They weren't there enough for their children," Russell explained.

"There inevitably has to be a trade-off in this," he continued. "You can either have royals who commit to as many engagements as the Queen Mother or the Queen or Prince Philip did. But the upshot of that, is that they won't spend as much time day-to-day with their children." He added: "Or you have royals like Prince William and Catherine, who do less public engagements when they have very young children."