Well before Anne Hathaway made the joyous announcement of her third pregnancy in June 2026, she was observing and absorbing parenting techniques from one of the world’s most-watched mothers. From the moment her daughter was born, the Oscar-winning actress, whose career has been defined by roles as a princess in The Princess Diaries and The Devil Wears Prada, has been unabashed about how much motherhood has changed her life and acting career. With her husband, Adam Shulman, about to become a father, too, Hathaway’s parenting style is fascinating to those who follow her and to those who have children of their own. She’s not only noticed for her stunner moments in red carpets and her critically acclaimed shows, but also for her grounded and thought provoking commentaries on parenting in the public spotlight. In all the chaos of her busy career and Hollywood life, Hathaway has always focused on her role as a mother and explains a simple yet powerful technique she has picked up from the Princess of Wales that has changed the way she communicates with her sons. Positioning herself at a child’s eye level to engage in eye contact has become part of her parenting methodology, and this is a reflection of a trend in parenting towards being physically close to children.
Hathaway has come out with a parenting revelation in the latest interview that she gave to the Sunday Times in 2019, while watching Prince William and Kate Middleton communicate with their little ones. She saw a moment of quiet intimacy and respect – a moment when the royal couple walked out of their adult world into the physical world of their child. Hathaway said at the time, she learned “to be on the child’s level and talk to them face to face to give their child a sense of control. She then went on to say that she had immediately started using this technique with her own son Jonathan, stating “I thought that was really cool.” This low brow gesture of touching a child down on their level was a turning point for Hathaway, who is already a veteran of navigating celebrity life. It transformed the typical adult-child dialogue from top-down to bottom up and from authority to equality and respect. It wasn’t just about saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’—it was about changing the way that her kids felt about themselves in a talk, so that they felt heard, validated, and important. When Hathaway shared this lesson, she voiced a message that was loud and clear about her character and her openness to learning from others, no matter how high or lowly, as long as the lesson was one taught with love and empathy. As so many parenting tips and tricks are all over the place and sometimes in direct opposition, Hathaway saw clarity in the conduct of the Princess and has never woken up without it.
What Hathaway did, and what is called in psychological and educational terms active listening, is much more than a physical position—it is a powerful non-verbal way of communication, of moving toward emotional intimacy and security. By bending down to meet a child’s level, acknowledging their gaze, the parent is communicating an important message to the child: I am here for you; your thoughts and feelings are important to me. This act brings the intimidating physical distance between an adult and a child to an end and helps to eliminate the feeling of intimidation or defensiveness, which may arise when a child feels the adult is taller or larger. A parent can’t simply hear the words being said, but they can look a child in the eye and see the feelings behind them. This is a great way to help kids feel safe and comfortable expressing themselves without fear of judgment, and is essential for their cognitive and emotional development. In Hathaway’s eyes, the eye-level approach is something tangible that gives her immediate results, and is a tool for parents who want to raise confident and resilient children. It invites children to feel free to share more and deepens the parent-child relationship by letting children know their opinion is respected. This is something that Hathaway has been doing with her sons, Jonathan and Jack, and is more likely to go on, as she awaits the arrival of her third son. The practice illustrates how the little things in everyday parenthood make the big difference – and how children form memories of security and trust that will follow them into adulthood.
The ‘eye level perspective’ is an attitude that the Princess of Wales has always lived by as a royal figure, interestingly. Kate Middleton has been frequently seen in royal engagements, crouching or kneeling to speak to children, an act that has garnered her a lot of love and support from child development experts and parents all over the world. This method is especially useful for children who feel threatened or nervous in formal situations and helps to overcome this feeling, making them feel like they are part of the discussion and not just a fly on the wall. It’s a gesture that a royal can make that can bridge the distance between royalty and commonality for a young child that is too easily overwhelmed with the presence of royalty. The move is a conscious step in line with the Princess’s wider concerns about early childhood development, which has long been a cause for which she has campaigned, using her “Shaping Us” campaign. In this way Middleton shows a knowledge of the psychological needs of children and treats them as she would treat any adult, with respect and dignity. One of her public image and a method that has definitely been appealing to parents such as Hathaway who seek her counsel on how to face the difficulties of parenting in the public spotlight.
