Kate Middleton Uses Code Words With Her Kids

last updated 15 October 2021

When it comes to Kate Middleton's super powers (opens in new tab), being an incredible mom is at the top of the list.
According to a report from The Sun, the Duchess of Cambridge uses code words to communicate with her kids, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, especially in public.
Kate also uses techniques like touching her kids' foreheads when they start to act up and getting down on their level to communicate, according to parenting expert Dr. Rebecca Chicot (opens in new tab).

Kate Middleton (opens in new tab) is a lot of things. She's a duchess (opens in new tab), a philanthropist (opens in new tab), and, of course, an amazing mom (opens in new tab).

Anyone who has ever raised (or, TBH, even babysat for any length of time) kids the ages of the Cambridge kids (opens in new tab)—Prince George (opens in new tab), 6, Princess Charlotte (opens in new tab), 4, and Prince Louis (opens in new tab), 1—knows that achieving the kind of near-perfect behavior they display in public is no easy feat of parenting.

This is just a normal fact of life: Kids will be kids and that means not acting like perfect, miniature-sized adults every second of every day. Add to that the very public nature of being a member of the royal family, though, and Kate's parenting prowess (opens in new tab) is nothing short of incredible.

So, how does the Duchess of Cambridge (opens in new tab) do it? She has a secret language of sorts for communicating to George and Charlotte (opens in new tab) (and, someday, Louis) that they need to check their behavior.

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According to a report from The Sun (opens in new tab), Kate's code word phrase for "calm down" is pretty simple: "Let’s take a break."

When Kate announces it's time for a break, George and Charlotte (opens in new tab) know that it's time to take things down a notch and, if they aren't out in public at the moment (because this code is used behind closed doors, too), they take a few minutes to engage in a quiet, solo activity, like reading a book or doing a puzzle, to regroup.

"It’s very hard for any parent to have to parent in public," Dr. Rebecca Chicot (opens in new tab), founder of Essential Parent and the author of the Calm and Happy Toddler (opens in new tab), told The Sun (opens in new tab).

Kate also has some physical communication techniques that help her keep George and Charlotte calm in public, Chicot says.

"She seems to be good at making warm contact 'touch to the head' which is a nice connection," Chicot explained. "She gets down to their level to talk to them but let’s them be children. She has a lovely balance of sensitivity and gentle boundaries. She doesn’t expect them to behave like little adults and knows that children go through perfectly natural stages like tantrums."

"Kate is a sensitive and warm mum," Chicot added. "This is a called an authoritative style of parenting that is now encouraged. This is compared to an autocratic parenting that was encouraged in some circles in Victorian times (e.g. children should be seen and not heard)."

Kate Middleton's Most Iconic Fashion Moments

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the duke and duchess of cambridge visit south wales — (Image credit: WPA Pool)

August 5, 2020

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stepped out to visit Barry island, South Wales to speak to local business owners about the impact COVID 19 on tourism. She wore an Emilia Wickstead dress, find similar one here (opens in new tab)and Castañer espadrilles (opens in new tab).

britain royals — (Image credit: JOE GIDDENS)

June 27, 2020

For a visit to The Nook in eastern England, Kate Middleton wore an affordable floral print dress from Faithfull the Brand. Not surprisingly, thanks to the Kate Effect, it sold out almost immediately. However, fans of the design can see buy clothing iterations of the of it here (opens in new tab) and here (opens in new tab). She completed the casual outing look with a pair of Russell & Bromley coconut wedges (shop similar espadrilles (opens in new tab)) and Accessorize hoop earrings (opens in new tab).

the duchess of cambridge visits london stadium to meet the parents and guardians of sportsaid stars — (Image credit: WPA Pool)

February 26, 2020

The Duchess of Cambridge left a SportsAid Stars event in London wearing a two-piece green outfit. She wore a Mango sweater (opens in new tab), Zara culottes (opens in new tab), a Smythe blazer (opens in new tab), and green stripe sneakers from Marks and Spencer. Her accessories included green Monica Vinader earrings (opens in new tab) and a gold Daniella Draper necklace (opens in new tab).

the duchess of cambridge joins family action to mark new patronage — (Image credit: Samir Hussein)

December 4, 2019

The Duchess of Cambridge joined families and children who are supported by the charity Family Action at Peterley Manor Farm in England. For the outing, she wore holiday colors: a red ski jacket from Perfect Moment (opens in new tab), a Really Wild (opens in new tab) green sweater (shop similar (opens in new tab)), blue jeans, and Berghaus brown booties (opens in new tab).

the duchess of cambridge opens anna freud centre of excellence — (Image credit: Karwai Tang)

May 1, 2019

What color looks the best on Kate? Trick question: every color looks good on her, even green. The Duchess of Cambridge was spotted in this deep jade colored dress from Emilia Wickstead (opens in new tab) while leaving the new Centre of Excellence at Anna Freud Centre in London. She accessorized with beige Gianvito Rossi (opens in new tab) pointy toe pumps and a Mulberry Amberley clutch (opens in new tab).

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.