Princess Kate Is Combating “Working Mom Guilt” With This Strategic Plan

Even Princess Kate knows the guilt of missing a school pick up or travelling for work, and feeling like you’ve let your children down. On an episode of Giovanna Fletcher’s Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast, the Princess of Wales was asked if she had ever experienced the dreaded ‘mom guilt.’ “Yes absolutely—and anyone who doesn't as a mother is actually lying,” the princess replied.

Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis are lucky enough to have Prince William and Princess Kate at almost every school drop off and soccer match, but sometimes their royal schedule gets in the way. “Even this morning, coming to the nursery visit here, George and Charlotte were like 'Mummy how could you possibly not be dropping us off as school this morning?'” Princess Kate told the podcast host. “It's a constant challenge. You hear it time after time from mums, even mums who aren't necessarily working and aren't pulled in the directions of having to juggle work life and family life."

As her children have gotten older, Princess Kate has learned how to juggle her royal engagements with family life, balancing work and children like any other mother. Prince William and Princess Kate have both spoken openly that the princess’s cancer diagnosis and treatment forced them to reassess what truly matters, and have placed family life as their top priority. Even still, sometimes the Princess of Wales will need to miss out for her royal work—and that’s when the mom guilt creeps in.

To combat this, royal expert Jennie Bond explained that Princess Kate uses a new strategy to minimize the disruption. Speaking to the Mirror, the former BBC royal correspondent said that Princess Kate’s new tactic for planning her work is “short, sharp and busy.” Referring to the princess’s recent trip to Italy, Bond said “she packed a lot into her two days, and this is increasingly the pattern of royal visits: short, sharp and busy. Maximum impact in a minimum number of days.”

“And that suits any working mom,” Bond explained. “We all suffer mom guilt, and Catherine is no exception. I think she’ll continue to prioritize her children’s needs for many years to come.” While Princess Kate is no ordinary working mom, she still has responsibilities and commitments that can’t always be scheduled between school drop off and school pick up. “The children are now old enough to understand that she has an extremely important role in public life and there are duties that she is expected to undertake,” said Bond. “They are a strong and stable family unit—and that’s a great foundation for the Princess to build on as she slowly increases her work schedule.”