Kate Middleton Opened Up to the Queen About Parenting Struggles

london, united kingdom june 08 embargoed for publication in uk newspapers until 24 hours after create date and time queen elizabeth ii, catherine, duchess of cambridge and prince louis of cambridge watch a flypast from the balcony of buckingham palace during trooping the colour, the queens annual birthday parade, on june 8, 2019 in london, england the annual ceremony involving over 1400 guardsmen and cavalry, is believed to have first been performed during the reign of king charles ii the parade marks the official birthday of the sovereign, although the queens actual birthday is on april 21st photo by max mumbyindigogetty images

(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo)

published 23 August 2020

When they welcomed their oldest son, Prince George, Prince William and Kate Middleton didn't want to hire a nanny and wanted to handle parenting duties all on their own.
After a few months, however, Will and Kate realized that juggling full-time parenting with their royal duties was difficult and hired a nanny to help.
According to royal expert Katie Nicholl, Kate confided in the Queen about the struggles they had balancing royal work and parenthood in a heart-to-heart during the royal family's Christmas celebration.

Over the years, Kate Middleton and the Queen have developed a really special bond. In fact, back when Kate and Prince William were new parents to their oldest son, Prince George, Kate confided in the Queen about their struggles juggling royal duties and full-time parenting (Will and Kate opted against hiring a nanny when George was born).

In an interview for True Royal's Kate Middleton: Heir We Go Again documentary, royal expert Katie Nicholl explained that Kate and the Queen had a real heart-to-heart about the situation during the royal family's Christmas celebration in Sandringham that year.

"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," Nicholl said, according to The Mirror. "William and Kate wanted to be hands on parents, and they did it until September and then they recruited a nanny."

Nicholl added in the documentary that Kate's mom, Carole Middleton, has played a huge role in helping with the Cambridge kids.

"One of the things that allows William and Kate to be so ordinary is the presence of the Middletons in their lives," she explained. "Carol is a regular through those golden gates at Kensington Palace, she whizzes through in her Land Rover. There is no security because everybody knows her. She turns up to help with bedtime and bath time. She is absolutely indispensable."

With the help of family and a few trusted staff members, Will and Kate have clearly found their groove balancing parenting and their duties as full-time working royals.

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. 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.