If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be a royal and a parent, you’re in luck. Kate Middleton recently opened up about motherhood in a rare interview with the podcast Happy Mum, Happy Baby.
In the interview, the Duchess of Cambridge sat down with the podcast’s host, Giovanna Fletcher, to discuss everything from her own happy childhood to her pregnancies, and how she tried hypnobirthing — aka using self-hypnosis techniques to help relax the body before and during labor and birth. But the moment that many moms identified with, though, came when the duchess admitted that she struggles with “mom guilt” too.
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“Yes, absolutely — and anyone who doesn't as a mother is actually lying. Yes — all the time,” Kate said when asked about feeling guilty, despite the fact that overall she describes herself as being a “hands-on mom.”
She continued on to explain that the guilt, or constantly questioning decisions as a parent “starts from the moment you have a baby.” Speaking of having a baby, Kate also opened up about the “terrifying” experience of introducing her first son, Prince George, to the public on the steps of Lindo Wing back in 2013 shortly after giving birth.
“Everyone had been so supportive and both [Prince] William and I were really conscious that this was something that everyone was excited about and, you know, we’re hugely grateful for the support that the public had shown us, and actually for us to be able to share that joy and appreciation with the public, I felt was really important,” she said. “But equally it was coupled with a newborn baby, and inexperienced parents, and the uncertainty of what that held, so there were all sorts of mixed emotions.”
But despite the barrel of emotions and second-guessing that comes with being a parent, Kate said that she and Prince William are committed to sharing small, but meaningful moments with their children, similar to her own happy childhood.
“Life now is so busy and distracting and sometimes simple things like watching a fire on a really rainy day provides such enjoyment,” she said. “I remember that from my childhood, the simple things, like going for a walk together, I try to do this with my children.”