Kate Middleton's mum stepped in to lend a hand as she struggled with parenting

11 September 2023 , 11:18

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Princess Kate and her mum Carol (Image: Getty Images)

Kate, the Princess of Wales, has often spoken out about being a hands-on parent with her husband and heir to the throne Prince William.

But when their first-born Prince George, arrived in 2013, combining their roles as parents and working royals were more challenging than either had anticipated and although they had the option of employing staff, Kate opted to initially go it alone and called on her mother Carol Middleton to lend a hand.

According to Vanity Fair’s royal correspondent, Katie Nicholl, she spoke to the Queen about the struggles she faced in balancing her charity work with motherhood. Ms Nicholl said in True Royalty’s documentary, Kate Middleton: Heir We Go Again: “Kate was having a conversation with the Queen in which she confided that she had found being with George on her own, and not having a full-time nanny or a maternity nurse, very hard.

Kate with her mum Carol and sister Pippa (Alamy Stock Photo)

“William and Kate wanted to be hands-on parents, and they did it until September [2013] and then they recruited a nanny.” Before they hired Teresa Maria Turrion Borallo, Carol was the one who stepped in to provide support and relief to the exhausted new parents.

"One of the things that allows William and Kate to be so ordinary is the presence of the Middletons in their lives," Ms Nicholl said. "Carol turns up to help with bedtime and bath time. She is absolutely indispensable.”

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Kate's mum has gone on record to share just how much she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren. She told Good Housekeeping in a recent interview that she likes to get involved with her grandchildren's games. She revealed how they "muck around". She said: “I want to run down the hills, climb the trees and go through the tunnel at the playground. As long as I am able to, that’s what I’ll be doing. I cook with them, I muck around dancing, we go on bike rides.”

Prince William, Kate and their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis moved to Adelaide Cottage, a four-bedroom home, on the grounds of Windsor Great Park in a bid to give their children more privacy but also to be closer to the Middletons, who also live in Berkshire.

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