07 March 2024 , 10:19
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Princess Kate is known to have an incredibly close relationship with her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton. And she is all too aware of the 'sacrifices' they have made for their three children.
Since becoming a mum herself, the Princess of Wales has spoken fondly of how much she appreciates everything her parents did. In one of her most revealing interviews to date, Kate reflected on her childhood and praised Carole and Michael for creating such a loving home environment.
"I had a very happy childhood," Kate said during her appearance on Giovanna Fletcher's podcast, Happy Mum, Happy Baby, back in February 2020.
"It was great fun – I'm very lucky, I've come from a very strong family – my parents were hugely dedicated to us – my siblings. I really appreciate now as a parent how much they sacrificed for us.
She continued: "They would come to every sports match – I was very keen on sport – they came to every sports match, they'd be the ones on the side-line shouting, and we'd always have our family holidays together.
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"But I think the things that really resonate with me most are the simple things and actually I see that now with my own children, life now is so busy, so distracting and actually sometimes the simple things like watching a fire on a really rainy day provides such enjoyment.
"I remember that from my childhood – doing the simple things, going for a walk together, and that's really what I try and do with my children as well because it totally strips away all the complications, all the pressures."
When asked by her host if she feels mum guilt, Kate admitted: "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 at 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."
Kate also admitted she sometimes feels guilty about the parenting decisions she makes. She said: "[You're] always sort of questioning your own decisions and your own judgements and things like that, and I think that starts from the moment you have a baby."
Explaining how she deals with the guilt, she added: "The more people you have around your children who are safe and loving and caring, the better.
"So yeah - it was a real weight off my shoulders that actually it's not totally my responsibility to do everything, because you know we all have good days, bad days - and you can dilute that with others who aren't on that particular day struggling.
"I think it makes such a difference for your child, keeping them as constant and happy as possible."