Speaking candidly on Giovanna Fletcher’s Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast earlier in the year, the Duchess of Cambridge admitted to feeling guilty when it comes to her little royals, particularly when they put her on the spot with one confronting question.
During the podcast, after being asked whether she struggles with mum guilt, the royal readily admitted “Yes, absolutely.”
She added: “anyone who doesn’t [feel guilt] as a mother is actually lying”.
In fact, it was only that morning when the Duchess was forced to grapple with her guilty mum conscience.
“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?’”
As the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have only one royal nanny to help them with Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, two, juggling the three children is no easy feat.
“It’s a constant challenge,”Kate tells Giovanna. “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.”
Even performing the day-to-day tasks can take its toll on the Duchess, who admits that she is a very “hands-on” mum when it comes to dealing with the energetic little princes and princess.
“You’re pulled in all sorts of directions,” Kate claims, before adding, “How actually can you physically get all three children out of the car at the same time? You can’t.”
From the very beginning of her first pregnancy, mum life wasn’t easy for the Duchess.
Grappling with a rare disorder called Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG), an extreme form of morning sickness, Kate suffered through her trimesters with severe nausea, vomiting, weight loss and dehydration.
The Duchess touched upon what it was like dealing with this debilitating affliction, stating: “Lots of people have it far, far worse but it was definitely a challenge, not just for me but also for your loved ones around you.”
Kate continued, “William didn’t feel like he could do much to help and it’s, you know, it’s hard for everyone to see you suffering without actually being able to do anything about it.”
Despite a bumpy pregnancy and coping with mum guilt, the Duchess has been rewarded with three healthy kids, of whom she hopes will remember the “simple things” from their childhood.
“That’s what I would want them to remember… the family going to the beach, getting soaking wet, filling our boots full of water.”