bitchy | People: Princess Charlotte ‘is quite a strong character, almost wise beyond her years’

I’ve been saying this for years and I’ll probably still be saying it for another decade: the British press and the royal courts have done a huge disservice to the Wales kids by enforcing set personas/personalities on them at a very young age. George was always the quiet, reserved heir; Prince Louis is the clown, the jokester, the one who makes faces and “steals the show.” And Princess Charlotte is cast as the diligent sister, bossy, organized, sharp, mature for her age, her mother’s carbon copy, etc. Charlotte just turned 10 years old and People Magazine put her on the cover to talk about how she’s a next-gen princess who walks on water. It’s a little bit much for a child who has no business being out in the public sphere this way. Some highlights from People’s cover story:

Princess Kate wants to raise her kids with normalcy: The Princess of Wales has long been intentional about how she’s raising her three children—Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, 7 — with a balance of duty and normalcy. “Kate has the reins of power in a very subtle way. She has very strong views,” royal author Ingrid Seward tells PEOPLE In this week’s issue.

Charlotte is a poised, polished young royal. “She is quite a strong character,” says a palace insider, “almost wise beyond her years.” Charlotte, who turned 10 on May 2, held her own on May 5 as she appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony to mark VE Day, standing with calm composure. “It’s truly her personality — it’s not forced,” says childrenswear designer Amaia Arrieta, who has met Charlotte several times. “She looks very confident and at ease with herself and the environment she’s in. The maturity that comes with that responsibility—she seems to nail it every time.”

She doesn’t go to an all-girls boarding school: “The monarchy has caught up with modern times, and instead of insisting on all-girl [or all-boy] schools, they want them to integrate as much as possible,” says Seward. “The old rules of royalty have changed.”

Charlotte is sporty: On the soccer field Charlotte is known for her grace and sportsmanship — often seen congratulating players on the opposing team. She also loves ballet, tap and rugby. “She spends most of her time upside down doing handstands and cartwheels,” Kate once joked. Adds a palace insider: “She’s clearly sporty like her mother. A bit of a mini-me.”

Charlotte is a natural: “She’s a natural and has taken to royal events like a duck to water,” the insider adds. She’s also known for keeping her brothers in line during official events — whispering reminders, straightening postures and nudging them at the right moments. At Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, she discreetly told George when to bow. “You can definitely see traits of her great-grandmother,” says royal biographer Robert Hardman, author of The Making of a King. “The practical common sense — not camera — grabbing but solid and responsible.”

Charlotte is also like Princess Anne: Like her great-aunt Princess Anne, who is often dubbed the “hardest-working royal,” Charlotte already seems to grasp the rhythm of royal life. But that maturity was forged in private, during early-childhood years often spent at the family’s country home Anmer Hall in Norfolk — a quiet, close-knit base where William and Kate built their family away from the spotlight. That strong foundation has helped shape Charlotte’s close bond with George and Louis. “No one else knows what it’s like to grow up in the U.K.’s foremost family,” says the palace insider. “It’s a shared, lived experience for them.”

George will rely on Charlotte: While George can be shy, and Louis is carefree, Charlotte is the glue — levelheaded and often a calming influence. “I think George will always be able to rely on her,” says Arrieta. “Much like Princess Anne to King Charles, she will be dependable and a great asset to him.” Looking ahead, Charlotte could one day be bestowed the title of princess royal — following in the footsteps of Anne, 74. Though the title is ultimately the monarch’s to give, Charlotte could still choose to decline it. “People wonder why the Queen didn’t make Prince Philip prince consort. Well, he didn’t want it,” Hardman points out. Adds the royal insider: “It could either be seen as an antiquated title or something steeped in history that they will want to respect.”

[From People]

This poor kid. The press is going to ruin her life in a million different ways when she gets older. I honestly think Louis is going to get it worse though – they’re already setting him up as the “clown,” which will morph into “the family screw-up,” all to make George look better (“thank god Louis isn’t the heir” will be the not-so-subtle message). But there’s also a message TO Charlotte in all of these pieces: that if she grows up playing the palace’s games and the press’s games, things will go easier for her. As in, she needs to be a working royal, she needs to provide them with good stories, etc.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Kensington Palace. Cover courtesy of People Mag.