She may be royalty, but that doesn’t mean Catherine, Princess of Wales and future Queen Consort of the Commonwealth delegates her parenting duties to others.
In fact, whilst the 41-year-old does undertake countless royal engagements and attend various events on behalf of the Crown each and every year, she always makes time for her three darling children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.
WATCH NOW: Princess Catherine, Prince William, and their children arrive at the coronation of King Charles II. Article continues after video.
Kate proves to be a very dedicated mother… therefore her long stay at The London Clinic while she recovers from her shock abdominal surgery, will no doubt be a difficult time for her.
It is believed that the Princess is keeping in touch with her young ones through FaceTime while Prince William takes care of things back at home at Adelaide Cottage, the family home on the Windsor Estate.
“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,” HELLO!’s royal editor Emily Nash told HELLO!
“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.”
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Keep scrolling for insight on Princess Kate’s parenting style…
While young royals are held to the same standard the rest of The British Royal family are held to, Kate, alongside her husband has made many an effort to ensure their children have as normal of a childhood as possible, despite being some of the most famous faces in the world!
In fact, from the moment they are born royal protocol dictates that the reigning sovereign must be the first to know of the birth. Then a royal proclamation is placed in front of Buckingham Palace, and across all royal social media.
Then as soon as bubs and mum are healthy enough, the newborn is presented to the public by its parents – which in the case of both Catherine and her late mother-in-law Princess Diana was on the steps of the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in London.
But despite being exposed to the eyes of the world as infants, Kate has made a conscious effort to limit the public engagements her children attend, making the move out of London to Windsor in 2023 so the children could grow up in a less urban area whilst still being close enough to Buckingham Palace when needed.
“They thought about moving to [their home in] Norfolk, but as active senior working royals, they could never be that far away from London, so that’s where Windsor came into the picture,” Royal Expert Omid Scobie told Yahoo!
“They want to give their kids “as normal a life as possible.”
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By moving to Windsor, the family forgoed the extra space of their Kensington Palace apartment for the smaller Adelaide Cottage, leaving no room for the live-in nanny – Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo – to reside for them.
Maria has been with the royal family since 2014, caring for children at various official events including Trooping the Colour and the respective weddings of both Princess Eugenie and her cousin Prince Harry.
She is alleged to be living nearby in private accommodation paid for by William and Kate.
Despite all their efforts to give their children a normal upbringing, however, there is concern surrounding the labels of “heir” and “spare” in the family of five.
The children’s uncle Prince Harry has made it clear in both his memoir Spare and a recent interview with The Telegraph that his neice and nephew did not struggle with the titles as much as he did.
“Though William and I have talked about it once or twice, and he has made it very clear to me that his kids are not my responsibility, I still feel a responsibility knowing that out of those three children, at least one will end up like me, the spare,” he shared sadly.
“And that hurts, that worries me.”
But according to royal correspondent Katie Nicholl, Kate and William have “it all worked out” and devised a parenting strategy that will see their children avoid the mental anguish of their uncle.
“George, Charlotte, and Louis are enjoying a childhood Harry and William didn’t get to enjoy, and I think that is why William and Kate are channeling everything they can into raising their children with an understanding of who they are as royals, but as ordinary children too,” Nicholl said on the Dynasty podcast.
“No one wants the next generation to suffer as Harry has suffered…it’s not a pretty picture.”
But what about Kate’s own parenting style?
Well, whilst there is official royal protocol that she and her husband must follow on certain occasions, the Wales household is, for the most part, one of fun!
In May 2023 at a Buckingham Palace garden party, the mother of three made some candid comments to a 93 year invitee about her parenting style.
“I’m terrible, I’m terrible at jokes,” Kate was heard saying by those nearby, adding that William was the funnyman in their household and “very good at humour.”
Then, the guest quizzed Kate on whether or not she was “the strict one” [parent].
“I’m definitely not strict!” How can you tell that? Surely not!”, she laughed.
Royal experts have also shone a spotlight on the many strategies Kate has picked up from her late mother-in-law, especially when she needs to comfort her children and offer them reassurance during busy public engagements
“Kate is often seen holding her children’s hands or picking them up for cuddles when they were smaller,” HELLO! Online’s Royal Correspondent Danielle Stacey shared in November 2023.
“There are often lots of comforting gestures, such as a pat on the back or stroking their hair. When interacting with other children on her public engagements, Kate often crouches down to their level to engage with them – something Diana would often do.”
On December 5th, 2023, Kate opened a new day surgery unit at Evelina London Children’s Hospital in London.
On her visit, she made her way around the hospital, visiting rooms that were offering pre-surgery checks, operations theatres and recovering areas and speaking with the children and fellow parents.
She spoke with other parents about the “nerve-wracking” trips to the hospital with her own children.
“It’s always nerve-wracking as a parent; I’ve taken mine into hospital for different things. You’re always at least worried but you’ve got a great team (here),” she said while speaking to one family in a pre-op cubicle.
Taking your children to the hospital is a scary experience for all parents.
While on her visit Kate also met 4-year-old Saya Stephenson who was in hospital for a relatively minor procedure. The Princess embraced the girls mother who had expressed her anxiousness about her daughters surgery.
Kate said: “It’s always a worry though for a parent. We have to keep our cool. It’s so hard.”
On Christmas Day, 2023, Kate was pictured leading her family to church, “portraying a sense of leadership and unity.”
Leading Celebrity Body Language Expert, Noor Hibbert, told HELLO!: “As the Waleses walk to the church, Kate confidently leads her family as the public watch. Her physical connection with Princess Charlotte by holding her hand, symbolises a transformation from timidity to assertiveness.
“This demonstrates Kate’s leadership but also a way for her to communicate a sense of security and guidance to her children. Her protective stance can be seen as a psychological defence mechanism, expressing her instinct to shield her family from any external scrutiny.”
In the photograph we see Kate leading the family while holding Charlotte’s hand with William following close behind with Louis and his cousin Mia Tindall.
Noor says: “Prince William’s positioning slightly at the back, holding Louis’ hand, suggests a protective and supportive role. His physical presence in this position reflects a subtle yet significant display of paternal guardianship. It is also a willingness for Kate to take a strong role of leadership in their family.”
Speaking with Hello! in January 2023, Supernanny star Jo Frast revealed that it was clear the mother of three was raising her children to not only have an awareness of royal protocol but that there was a time and place for all things.
“I think really what we’re seeing is awareness. Prince George and Princess Charlotte are being informed, certainly George, our future king. He’s no doubt learning little bits here and there. He has the wonderful example of looking up to his grandfather and his father from a young age.”
“They have a lovely balance of [following royal protocol] and behind closed doors, no doubt they’re playing games and winding each other up as siblings do, teasing each other, having fun and baking cookies and being out in nature.”
The parenting expert then added that Catherine was “leading the way” in ensuring she raised “emotionally intelligent” children.
“It’s so important to do that from a young age so that children have the vocabulary to express the different array of emotions they feel. She’s creating this beautiful environment for the children to thrive in.”
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