As a mum to three young children, the Princess of Wales has faced many of the same struggles and dilemmas as parents up and down the country
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The Princess of Wales may have a royal title – but is known to Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis simply as mum.
Even as a prominent member of the Royal family, she regards being a hands-on parent as her most vital role.
When carrying out her Royal engagements, Kate frequently shares her pride in her three little ones, giving a peek into their domestic life.
But as Kate has candidly acknowledged, parenting isn’t without its challenges, speaking openly about the ups and downs of bringing up her young family…
Knitting fail
Kate has continually impressed followers with her artistic skills, visible in her excellent photography and sketches, and she clearly has a creative side. However, she once embarked on a particular hobby with the intent to craft a unique gift for her firstborn, Prince George, only to later concede defeat, confessing she was “really bad” at it.
That hobby? Knitting!, reports the Mirror.
Kate first revealed she was trying her hand at knitting way back in 2013 when she was pregnant with George. While interacting with admirers in Glasgow, as reported by Hello!, she confessed: “I’ve been trying to knit and I’m really bad. I should be asking for tips!”
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During a 2020 visit to Bradford, Kate dropped in on Older Yet Wiser, an organisation aiding grandparents, where she encountered several grandmothers showing off their crocheting skills. And there she confessed that her attempts to knit George a jumper had completely failed;
She said: “I tried knitting when I first had George. I tried to knit him a very special jumper, but I got halfway down and it splattered. It’s such an amazing skill.”
Planning holidays
Kate has also shared her passion for travel, but admitted that fitting it in around her children’s school holidays could be difficult. Just this month, while celebrating St Patrick’s Day with the Irish Guards, she expressed to Corporal Adam Hamilton, an Australian reservist, her desire to take her children to Australia.
She confided in Corporal Hamilton: “George finds it fascinating that he has been to Australia and New Zealand.
“I would like to go back there with them now. It’s finding time to do that. But I love to travel – yes, it’s a long flight.
“But I love the Middle East because that’s familiar to me (from) growing up. There are so many opportunities now to travel, I think it’s brilliant to experience it.
“We tend to go further afield when it’s official visits, it’s being able to carve out time to experience these countries in a more private capacity. Because otherwise you end up seeing lots of insides of amazing buildings but you don’t get to meet that many.. people. It’s making sure that you can combine a bit of work with… the children. I might see you down there!”.
(Image: Samir Hussein/WireImage)Hair struggle
Whenever Kate makes a public appearance with all three of her children, they always appear impeccably dressed. However, getting all three youngsters ready is not an easy task – especially Charlotte, and it all comes down to her hair.
During a visit to Cumbria in June 2019, Kate confessed that she finds styling Charlotte’s lovely hair challenging.
A young girl who met the Princess of Wales during her visit presented her with a bouquet of flowers and received a charming compliment from Kate. She told her: “I love your plaits. They are so pretty. Who’s done those, who’s done your plaits?” Then Kate made a sweet disclosure, which many parents of young girls will empathise with.
She confessed: “I tried to do a plait with Charlotte this morning, it didn’t really work very well.”
Meanwhile, it’s not just Kate who has spoken about the difficulty of styling Charlotte’s hair – Prince William has too. On a trip to Blackpool in 2019, he was conversing with a fellow dad, who confessed that he’d also had trouble learning how to style his daughter’s hair.
Can’t keep up
Kate’s youngest child, six-year-old Louis, has shown himself to be quite the bundle of energy over the years. It’s hardly surprising then that Kate has previously revealed how the little one has been zipping around on his scooter, keeping her and William very much on their toes.
During a heartfelt phone conversation with courageous Mila Sneddon, who was receiving chemotherapy for leukaemia, the mum-of-three opened up about family life. Kate remarked: “Louis has got so big now. He’s very quick running around and he’s on his little scooter as well. He’s very quick. I can’t keep up with him.”
Mum guilt
(Image: WireImage)
In another moment of candidness, Kate once confessed to experiencing “mum guilt” a sentiment many parents can relate to. On Giovanna Fletcher’s podcast Happy Mum, Happy Baby, Kate shared her feelings of guilt when her Royal duties meant she couldn’t take Charlotte to school.
When asked about mum guilt, Kate acknowledged: “Yes absolutely – and anyone who doesn’t as a mother is actually lying.
“Yep – all the time. Even this morning, coming to the nursery visit here – George and Charlotte were like ‘Mummy how could you possibly not be dropping us off as school this morning?’ It’s a constant challenge – you hear it time after time from mums, even mums who aren’t necessarily working and aren’t pulled in the directions of having to juggle work life and family life.”