Princess Kate Reveals "Terrifying" Moment After Prince George's Birth

"There were all sorts of mixed emotions..."

Prince William and Kate Middleton introduce baby Prince George to the world
(Image credit: Getty)

Being a new mom is scary—whether you're a royal or not. Princess Kate recently admitted that she was fearful during a famous moment after she gave birth to her first son, Prince George, 9. After his arrival on July 22, 2013, the future king made his public debut outside the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, Central London.

The Princess of Wales shared that greeting Londoners only a few hours after giving birth was "slightly terrifying," she revealed while on the podcast "Happy Mum, Happy Baby" with former I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here winner Giovanna Fletcher. 

Prince William and Kate Middleton introduce baby Prince George to the world

(Image credit: Getty)

Fletcher asked Kate, "What was it like knowing that so many people outside after you've given birth and you're in your little cocoon with your new family? What's it like?"

"Yeah, slightly terrifying, slightly terrifying," Kate replied. "I'm not going to lie. I like to decompartmentalize—what's the word?—compartmentalize, yes, the whole thing."

She added, "Everyone had been so supportive. Both William and I were really conscious that this was something that everyone was excited about, and you know, we're 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. But equally, it was coupled with a newborn baby, inexperienced parents, and the uncertainty of what that held, so there were all sorts of mixed emotions."

George's 10th birthday is this Saturday, which means the little royal isn't so little anymore. The eldest child of Kate and Prince William was old enough to serve as one of four Pages of Honor for King Charles at his May 6 coronation at Westminster Abbey.

Prince George ahead of his 10th birthday on July 22, 2023

(Image credit: Getty)

On the podcast, Fletcher asked Kate how long she waited to greet the public after giving birth. "Oh my gosh, I can't remember. Everything goes in a bit of a blur," Kate said. "I did stay in the hospital overnight. I remember it was one of the hottest days and nights with huge thunderstorms, so I didn't get a huge amount of sleep, but George did, which was really great."

She added, "I was keen to get home because... I had all the memories of being in the hospital because of being sick, so it wasn't a place I wanted to hang around in. I was really desperate to get home and get back to normality."

Paulina Jayne Isaac

Paulina is the Weekend Editor at Cosmopolitan.com. When she isn’t covering celeb and pop culture news, she can be found listening to Taylor Swift, watching a teen drama (One Tree Hill is her favorite), or perfecting her skincare routine.