Princess Kate Balances “Mom Guilt” By Asking This One Question
“For women like the Princess of Wales, family now comes before everything else.”
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Delivered daily
Marie Claire Daily
Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.
Sent weekly on Saturday
Marie Claire Self Checkout
Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.
Once a week
Maire Claire Face Forward
Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.
Once a week
Livingetc
Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.
Delivered Daily
Homes & Gardens
The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.
One of the many universal experiences of motherhood is the presence of “mom guilt,” and the Princess of Wales is not immune to the experience. In a 2020 interview on Giovanna Fletcher’s Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast, Princess Kate revealed that she feels mom guilt “all the time” and thinks that “anyone who doesn’t … is actually lying.”
“You’re always sort of questioning your own decisions and your own judgments and things like that,” the princess explained on the podcast. At the time, Prince George was 8, Princess Charlotte was 6, and Prince Louis was 2—and while the mom guilt still exists, Princess Kate has found a way to balance her priorities.
Prince William and Princess Kate prioritize their family first.
Princess Kate with her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
Princess Kate is now known to prioritize mom duties, like the school run or the weekend rugby matches, above everything else. According to royal expert and author Katie Nicholl, the first question is “how does this work for us as a family?” and everything else comes second.
“Once a royal trip or engagement is planned, the first thing they ask before looking at the itinerary is, ‘how does this work for us as a family?’” Nicholl revealed to The Sun. “She likes to do the school run and all those things,” she said. "Every effort is taken to ensure their childhood is as ordinary as possible, whether that be through playdates, school clubs or sitting down to eat together.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales with their children near their country home, Anmer Hall.
Prince William and Princess Kate on their children's first day at Lambrook School.
"They do need [their nanny] Maria’s help because of their busy schedules, but it’s not 24/7 and she doesn’t live with them,” Nicholl revealed. “We’re not talking about butlers, chefs and housekeepers either—it’s very slimline.”
“Being a royal mother has changed dramatically,” Nicholl added, referencing the days that nannies would raise royal children full time, and royal duties came first. “For women like the Princess of Wales, family now comes before everything else, and Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are growing up in a totally different age.”
