Kate Middleton reveals she felt lonely and suffers from mum guilt being both a parent and full-time royal

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THE Duchess of Cambridge has confessed to feeling “lonely” and suffering “mum guilt” as she described the “pressures” of being both a parent and full-time Royal.

Kate, 38, revealed her most personal thoughts in an astonishingly open and candid interview about being a parent.

Kate Middleton admitted on Giovanna Fletcher’s Happy mum, Happy baby podcast, she felt lonely as a new parent

The royal admits feeling guilty when working royal duties away for long periods away from George, six, Charlotte, four and 21-month-old Louis.

The mum-of-three described parenthood as the “toughest and most unknown place” as she shared her experiences with mums and dads across the country.

And told how she coped with “a lonely period” endured after giving birth to George in July 2013.

The 30-minute podcast chat is the first time a senior royal has opened up about the issues of motherhood.

The mum-of-three described parenthood as the ‘toughest and most unknown place’

Kate explained she used meditation to cope with crippling morning sickness and practised at home with a doll before seamlessly put George and his baby seat in the back of their Land Rover in front of the world’s media.

Kate and Wiliam are expected to take on a bigger royal workload after Harry and Meghan handed back their HRH titles and roles to work in North America.

She also described the importance of posing with newborn George on hospital steps for all the well-wishers around the globe – a tradition that Harry and Meghan decided not to do.

Kate was speaking on ‘Happy mum, Happy Baby’ podcast to promote her ‘5 Big Questions on the Under Fives’ survey about the impact of childhood experiences on adult life. 

Kate said her happy childhood has helped her as a parent

She opened up about how she suffered mum guilt and the demands of being away from her children for work.

Podcast host Giovanna Fletcher – wife of popstar Tom Fletcher from McFly – described how every parent suffers from mum guilt if they are away from their children for work.

The Duchess replied:  “Yes absolutely and anyone who doesnt as a mother is actually lying!

“Yep all the time, yep and you know 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?

“But no its a constant challenge you hear it time and time again from mums, even mums who arent necessarily working and arent pulled in the directions of having to juggle work life and family life.”

Despite being surrounded by staff and support from her parents and family, Kate admitted to loneliness after giving birth

Kate added: “And always sort of questioning your own decisions and your own judgements and things like that, and I think that starts from the moment you have a baby!

“Yeah, but also I feel huge responsibility because what Ive learnt over the last few years is so fascinating and I definitely would have done things differently, even during my pregnancy, than I would have done now.”

Kate said: “There’s a lot of pressure, isn’t there?

“You can get so distracted and put so much pressure on yourselves about the things youre not necessarily achieving, and it distracts you from the things that actually really do matter to the lifelong health and happiness of the children youre looking after.”

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She opened up about how she suffered mum guilt and the demands of being away from her children for work

Asked how she maintains a work-life balance Kate added: “Theres such a pull but I am such a hands on mum and whatever youre doing you want to make sure youre doing the uttermost best job you can for your children.”

The Duchess described how she suffered guilt about spending too much time away from her three children carrying out Royal duties.

But she praised the network of friends and family in her circle for their support.

She added: “I was having doubts and questions about the guilty element of being away for work and things like that.”

“The more people you have around your children who are safe and loving and caring, the better. 

“It was a real weight off my shoulders that actually its not totally my responsibility to do everything, because you know we all have good days, bad days – and if you can dilute that with others who arent on that particular day struggling.

“I think it makes such a difference for your child, and keeping them as constant and happy as possible.”

The Duchess described how she took part in hypnobirthing – meditation to manage pain during labour

Despite being surrounded by staff and support from her parents and family, Kate admitted to loneliness after giving birth.

She said: “Having had such a wonderful support network through pregnancy and delivery from nurses and midwives, its then a very lonely period between then and perhaps going into the educational system, which then picks up in terms for parents that support network but there isnt a huge amount out there.

“There are some incredible communities out there, which I have been to see, that do as much as they can in terms of including parents, but it is quite a lonely period for a mother, and for families really too.

“Where do they go if they need support, whether its for their child or for themselves?”

Speaking about the days and weeks after arriving home with first-born George, she added: “It took us a bit of time to get ourselves settled and going again but thats the beauty, I suppose, of having a new-born baby.

“You are pulled to your toughest and most unknown places that you hadnt necessarily even thought about before.”

Kate explained she used meditation to cope with crippling morning sickness

Kate famously suffered from severe morning sickness called hyperemesis during all three of her pregnancies.

She said: “It was fine. I got very bad morning sickness, so Im not the happiest of pregnant people.

“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 and I think thats the thing – being pregnant and having a new-born baby and things like that, impacts everybody in the family.

“You know, William didnt feel he could do much to help and its hard for everyone to see you suffering without actually being able to do anything about it.

She added: “I was really sick I wasnt eating the things I should be eating but yet, the body was still able to take all the goodness from my body and to grow new life, which I think is fascinating.”

The Duchess said her childhood experiences are shaping how she raises her three children

The Duchess described how she took part in hypnobirthing – meditation to manage pain during labour.

Kate said: “I’m not going to say that William was standing there sort of, chanting sweet nothings at me. He definitely wasnt! I didnt even ask him about it, but it was just something I wanted to do for myself.

“I saw the power of it really, the meditation and the deep breathing and things like that – that they teach you in hypnobirthing – when I was really sick and actually I realised that this was something I could take control of, I suppose, during labour. 

“It was hugely powerful and because it had been so bad during pregnancy, I actually really quite liked labour! Because actually it was an event that I knew there was going to be an ending to.”

Kate famously suffered from severe morning sickness called hyperemesis during all three of her pregnancies

The royal couple posed for pictures with George on the steps of Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital, London, in July 2013.

In an apparent dig Harry and Meghan who refused to pose on the hospital steps after birth of Archie, she added: “Everyone had been so supportive and both William and I were really conscious that this was something that everyone was excited about and you know were 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.”

There was astonishment and praise from parents when William easily locked George in the child seat in the back seat of the Land Rover in front of the world’s press.

Kate revealed: “Wed even tried to practice with a little baby, like a little doll, at home but you know it just never works out the way you planned it so it was quite hard to do that on the worlds stage, but no, he did a very good job.”

Amazingly, the couple had not been told the gender of their first-born.

Kate and Prince William didn’t find out the genders of their babies before birth

Describing the moment they discovered, she added: “I didnt know, no it was a surprise.

“But also seeing you know your husband, William and things like that. Seeing the pure joy of his face it was really special.”

The Duchess said her childhood experiences are shaping how she raises her three children.

She said: “I had a very happy childhood. It was great fun Im very lucky, Ive come from a very strong family my parents were hugely dedicated to us my siblings

“I really appreciate now as a parent how much they sacrificed for us.

“But it is really true you know, they would come to every sports match I was very keen on sport they came to every sports match, theyd be the ones on the side-line shouting, and wed always have our family holidays together.

“But I think the things that really resonate with me most are the simple things and actually I see that now with my own children, life now is so busy, so distracting and actually sometimes the simple things like watching a fire on a really rainy day provides such enjoyment. 

“I remember that from my childhood doing the simple things, going for a walk together, and thats really what I try and do with my children as well because it totally strips away all the complications, all the pressures.”

Last month Kate launched her ‘5 Big Questions on the Under Fives’ survey

She revealed her favourite photo shows Charlotte playfully smelling a bluebell.

Kate added: “Ive got this one photo of Charlotte smelling a bluebell, and really for me its moments like that mean so much to me as a parent, and I try everyday to put moments like that in even if theyre small or even if I dont have time… but that in an ideal world is what I would like to do.”

Asked about the pressures of raising children, she added: “Actually if you really think about that, is it that Im sitting down trying to do their maths and spelling homework over the weekend?

“Or is it the fact that weve gone out and lit a bonfire and sat around trying to cook sausages that hasnt worked because its too wet?

“Thats what I would want them to remember, those moments with me as a mother, but also the family going to the beach, getting soaking wet, filling our boots full of water, those are what I would want them to remember.

“Not a stressful household where youre trying to do everything and not really succeeding at one thing.”

Last month Kate launched her ‘5 Big Questions on the Under Fives’ survey.

To take part visit www.5BigQuestions.org.uk.

Kate was speaking on the ‘Happy Mum, Happy Baby’ podcast which can be downloaded at https://play.acast.com/s/happymumhappybaby.