George, Charlotte and Louis can be ‘normal children’ when with Carole Middleton

Carole Middleton, 68, has six grandchildren through her two daughters, Kate and Pippa. The Princess of Wales has three children, Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five.

In addition, Pippa Middleton, who tied the knot with James Matthews in 2017, has three children called Arthur, Grace and Rose.

Jo Mitchelhill, a parenting expert who specialises in the role grandparents play in children’s development, spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk to analyse Carole as a grandmother.

She claimed: “I think Carole is a hands-on grandmother. It is clear to see in pictures how much she loves and adores the children and they her.

“You can’t have that without having a fun side. There will likely be boundaries in place and the children know what is expected of them when they are with her.

“I would imagine that she would do ‘normal’ grannie things with them, like bake cakes, make daisy chains and play games with them, but bedtime routines might be a little bit more relaxed.

“For instance, she may let the children have a few more minutes of nanna cuddles. And possibly an extra scoop of ice cream with chocolate sauce!”

The expert opened up about how the Prince and Princess of Wales have publically praised Carole as a mother and grandmother, and why this is a good indication of her role as a grandparent.

Ms Mitchelhill added: “One of the things Prince William once said was that he liked going for dinner at the Middleton’s because it was what he imagined a normal family dinner to be. All sat around the table, talking and laughing.

“So with that in mind, Carole would give that balance to the children of a ‘normal’ childhood. Sunday dinners, Easter egg hunts, doing typical children’s things like climbing trees, making dens and imaginative play.

“Kate is very much the type of parent who wants to make sure her children are well grounded, which would have come from wanting the children to have as normal an upbringing as she had.

“The value placed on family is very strong, so fostering opportunities where the children can be typical siblings and build those strong bonds is important.”

The parenting expert explained how Kate and Carole’s close friendship likely helped her when she married William in 2011.

Ms Mitchelhill opined: “Kate and Carole have a very close, tight-knit relationship and she is very much a confidant to Kate. Carole would guide her when it comes to how to behave as a member of the Royal Family.

“She would be someone who Kate is able to bounce her thoughts and feelings off and find a balanced perspective within her role in the family and as a parent.

“Because of their close relationship, Kate would feel confident in knowing that anything she discusses with her mother is in the strictest of confidence and would not be mentioned to anyone else. That is really important in her role within the Royal Family, but also as a parent.

“We all need someone who is going to listen to us when we are having challenging moments with our children and give us advice and know that isn’t going to be talked about outside of that conversation.”