Princess Kate's surprisingly normal home chores imposed by mother Carole Middleton

By all accounts, the Princess of Wales' childhood with her parents Carole and Michael Middleton and siblings Pippa and James was a happy one – and surprisingly normal, too.

Just like any children, Kate, Pippa and James had household rules and chores they had to abide by, especially when it came to family dinners.

According to Katie Nicholl, author of Kate: The Future Queen: "The Middletons were an exceptionally close family, and Carole and Mike enjoyed the vibrancy of their children, the stories and noise and laughter. Every weeknight, they would eat a home-cooked supper together around the kitchen table.

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"Mealtimes were an opportunity to bring the family together, and all three children were expected to help. One would lay the table, another would clear up, and they were not allowed to leave their seats until their plates were clean."

Pippa reinforced this in an article she wrote about her childhood, recalling: "As children, we had to eat absolutely everything."

Considering Kate is also an avid cook, it's likely that Carole turned to her kids for help whipping up meals.

George Brown, who often visited the Middletons' home West View, told Katie: "She was what I would call a real homemaker. She was also a great baker and taught the girls to bake. The kitchen was a traditional cottage kitchen and the hub of the house, and Carole was always busy cooking up something."

William's rules

By comparison, Kate's husband Prince William grew up with different rules that saw him eat away from his parents at a kids' table on formal occasions.

Former royal chef Darren McGrady, who worked for both the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles and Princess Diana, described it as a "Victorian" approach.

"The children always ate in the nursery until they were old enough to conduct themselves properly at the dining table. So for the Queen, there was never a case of putting a high chair at the table with a little baby squealing and throwing food," he told HELLO!.

"It was Victorian. The children's place was in the nursery and Nanny would take care of them. It's your modern-day Downton Abbey."

Kate and William's kids

Now the Prince and Princess of Wales share three kids Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, they have decided what rules to pass down.

From the rare comments they've made about their private home life, it seems as though they have adopted more of Kate's childhood values, cooking homemade pizza, pasta and cakes together as a family.

William joked about mealtimes to community chef Charlie Farrally at the PEEK Project, stating: "It depends on what's on the table. If parents put something on that children love, dinner time goes very well. But if you put something on the table they don't want, that's another ball game."