One royal expert has shared how the Queen changed the way Kate Middleton and Prince William viewed parenting, with the late monarch seemingly letting them know that it was ok to ask for help.
- After struggling to find a work/life balance following the birth of their first child, Kate Middleton and Prince William got some invaluable parenting advice from the late Queen, one royal expert has shared.
- After a short chat with the Queen, the royal couple hired a nanny and turned to Kate's mum, Carole Middleton, for help raising their brood.
- In other royal news, Prince William and Kate Middleton are prioritising 'family time' over royal engagements but it's creating some 'tension' within The Firm.
Kate Middleton and Prince William are often praised for their parenting skills, whether it's simple tricks that help them to interact with their youngsters or their ‘radical new way of parenting’ that has taught a range of people ‘how to be a different kind of parent’, but, though it may be hard to believe now, at one point, the pair needed some help.
Following the birth of the couple's first child, Prince George, who was back born in 2013 and currently sits second in the royal line of succession, it was reported that they were so determined to be full-time and hands-on parents that they refused to hire a nanny or any nursing staff despite their jam-packed schedules, as per reports in MyLondon.
The couple soon found themselves struggling to balance their work with family life and turned to the family's matriarch, the late Queen, for help.
In True Royalty’s documentary, Kate Middleton: Heir We Go Again royal expert Katie Nicholl detailed how she believes the Queen influenced Kate and William's decision to hire a nanny. She said, “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. William and Kate wanted to be hands-on parents, and they did it until September and then they recruited a nanny.”
Journalist and parenting writer Kelly Rose Bradford echoed the experts statement, sharing, “I think despite their good intentions the first time around, Kate and William did soon realise they couldn’t hold down their jobs and also care full time for their child.”
While the Queen was keen to support the Wales' with their family matters, there was reportedly one parenting choice that not only did she 'struggle to get her head around,' but simply 'could not stand.'
According to a royal source who spoke to The Express, George and his two younger siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis spend a lot of time with their mum and dad in the kitchen, with the room being used as the family's 'main base.' The source explained, "For the Queen, she can't stand that, because she is used to having a set room for that sort of thing.
"The kitchen she never goes down to when she’s at Balmoral, for instance. In her mind, that is where all the kitchen staff work."
While the couple turned to the Queen for advice, the pair also leant on Kate's mum Carole Middleton who was, and still is, 'indispensable' to their family while they raise their kids.
Nicholl explained, “One of the things that allows William and Kate to be so ordinary is the presence of the Middletons in their lives…[Carole] turns up to help with bedtime and bath time. She is absolutely indispensable.”
Channel 5’s royal correspondent Simon Vigar added, "Carole is very involved in the upbringing of George and looking after her eldest daughter Kate when she was ill with this extreme morning sickness. For many weeks, Kate was at home in Berkshire with mum and dad, and Grandma Middleton was taking up the strain.”
As well as stepping in to help the royal couple, Carole's own method of 'down-to-earth' parenting has inspired Prince William especially, as royal experts say he ‘looks up’ to both Carole and Kate's dad Michael for their parenting skills.
