Princess Kate and Prince William have been hailed for their more “modern” approach to raising the next generation of royals, going against decades of childcare protocol.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are parents to Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and while they have Norland nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo on hand to help out the couple like to do as much themselves as possible.

Kate is currently recovering at The London Clinic following major surgery on her abdomen, and William has since been snapped on the school run and visiting her in hospital.

Royal author Robert Hardman told People magazine that William and Kate are a “modern royal couple” and want their brood to have as normal an upbringing as possible.

He said: “There would have been more delegation [in the past]. He [William] doesn’t want to leave it all to the nanny. We know they are a very tight family unit, and he wants to be there for them.

Royal editor Emily Nash explained to Hello! magazine: “Kate loves FaceTiming the children when she is working away overseas so I’m sure they will be in regular contact while she’s in the hospital, and the kids will be keen to see her as soon as she’s well enough.

“She loves having her family around her so will be looking forward to getting home and having cuddles with the kids. Both William and Kate are very hands-on parents.

“They take the kids to school, attend sports matches and concerts and try to be home for bedtime as much as they can. While Kate is in hospital, William will be at home keeping things as normal as possible.”

The exact details of Kate’s condition have not been made public, but Kensington Palace confirmed it was a planned operation and it was not related to cancer.

On the same day that Kate’s health news emerged Buckingham Palace also released a statement saying that King Charles would also be undergoing surgery for an enlarged prostate.

It is a condition that affects thousands of men each year and His Majesty wanted to speak openly about it to encourage others to get their symptoms checked.