Emily Nash, royal correspondent for Hello! Magazine, spoke about the Duchess in the 2017 documentary ‘Kate: The Making of a Modern Queen’.
She explained that Kate, while projecting her warmth and interest in charities, is not able to be very spontaneous in her public life. This is because she must be careful not to slip up or make any mistakes that could damage her reputation or that of the Royal Family.
Ms Nash said: “She’s in a difficult situation, because I think she’s not always able to be completely spontaneous in front of the cameras.
“And you have to remember she’s perhaps one of the most scrutinised royals ever, because of the rise of smartphones and social media ‒ any tiny slip up or mistake she could make could go viral within seconds.
“And she must be really conscious of that and it must be a challenge.
“But when you see her interacting and engaging with people up close you really do get a feeling of warmth and genuine interest.
“She’s someone who does a lot of research, she reads up on everything to do with the charities she’s visiting and I think, to the people she’s engaging with, that must come off really well.”
Kate’s perceived perfection can make it more difficult for royal fans to relate to her compared with some of the family with more obvious flaws or character quirks.
However, Ms Nash claimed there are a few moments in which the public can get a hint as to what Kate is like in her own personal time.
She said: “I think the times we see Kate really relaxing are quite often the most informal moments when she’s getting involved in some kind of sporting activity, particularly when she’s competing with William at something.
“Or when she’s interacting with small children and you get these fantastic, fun facial expressions, she looks to be really enjoying herself.
“And I think that’s when you can really imagine what she’s like behind closed doors.”
In these moments, Kate often appears more playful, competitive and cheeky than usual, but also maintains her gentleness.
Ms Nash added that Kate’s confidence is increasing with her experience and that she is speaking in public more and more.
Kate’s interactions with small children might particularly give royal fans an insight into how she is with her own three children ‒ Prince George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 4, and Prince Louis, 1.
The Duchess of Cambridge is known to want her children to grow up in as normal an environment as possible.
While her three youngsters are royalty and there will always be a public interest in them, Kate is determined that they should experience some level of normality in their home life.
She and William are more hands-on than previous royal parents and both have an interest in mental health.
Parenting expert Martina Mercer said: “Kate’s parenting style can easily be described as modern.
“Alongside her own values, she’s obviously researched the best ways to bring up children in today’s society.
“She displayed a lot of parenting techniques that are current in the world of child psychology.”
When speaking to young children ‒ her own but also other people’s children ‒ Kate often bends down to speak to them at eye-level.
Ms Mercer added: “She understands the importance of being on a level with children and not towering over them.
“It removes the fear of the parent while utilising eye contact and connecting with the child on their level.
“It enhances communication, understanding and ultimately demonstrates love.”