Advertisement

The age Kate Middleton found parenting George and Charlotte the hardest

Photo credit: Getty Images
Photo credit: Getty Images

From Cosmopolitan

Everyone says the toughest part of parenthood is right at the start, when you're in the 'fog' of learning how to be mother (or father) to a newborn, you're getting zero sleep, and you're covered in generally unidentifiable bodily fluids for 80% of the day.

But in Kate Middleton's experience, that's not actually the hardest part. While speaking at the Family Action headquarters on Tuesday this week, as she helped to launch its new FamilyLine hotline service, the Duchess of Cambridge revealed she actually found the biggest struggle of parenthood to be when her babies turned one.

"It’s so hard," said Kate, who's mum to five-year-old Prince George, three-year-old Princess Charlotte, and nine-month-old Prince Louis.

"You get a lot of support with the baby as a mother, particularly in the early days, but after the age of one it falls away. After that there isn’t a huge amount," she continued, adding: "Everybody experiences the same struggle."

While Prince William and Kate Middleton obviously receive support bringing up their three children - their nanny, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, lives with them at Kensington Palace - it doesn't make Kate's feelings any less valid.

She still probably felt a little lost, not knowing exactly what to do when Prince George came along, just like everyone else. And she's likely to experience the same feelings of support falling away when Prince Louis turns one in April.

Photo credit: Getty Images
Photo credit: Getty Images

It's a topic the Duchess has spoken about before in detail, when in a 2017 speech she described the "sheer, overwhelming experience" that was becoming a mother.

"Even for me, who has support at home that most mothers do not. Nothing can really prepare you for the sheer, overwhelming experience of what it means to become a mother," she said. "For many mothers, myself included, this can at times lead to a lack of confidence and feelings of ignorance."

Photo credit: Getty Images
Photo credit: Getty Images

All this is probably comforting for Meghan Markle, who's due to become a first-time mother in April this year, knowing that her sister-in-law will be on hand with valuable words of validating and understanding if ever she needs it.

Follow Cat on Twitter.


('You Might Also Like',)