KATE’S FAMILY ALBUM
Royal snaps from the duchess’ Chelsea Flower Show garden
Holding up a pebble for her youngest son, Prince Louis, to examine, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, gave a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of the happy and relaxed mother she has become over the past five years.
Introducing her husband and three children to the Chelsea Flower Show garden she helped create – which was kept under wraps until May 20 – it also marked the first time Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis have visited one of their parents’ official projects.
While the older children enjoyed exploring the woodland wonderland, gathering sticks and trying out the rope swing, exploring the tree house and hidden paths, 1-year-old Louis showed off his new walking skills to his parents’ delight.
The garden, Kate explained ahead of its May 21 opening, holds great significance for
her, not only as a place for her own children to enjoy. “I really feel that nature and being interactive outdoors has huge benefits on our physical and mental wellbeing, particularly for young kiddies,” said the duchess.
“I really hope that this woodland that we have created really inspires families, kids and communities to get outside, enjoy nature and the outdoors, and spend quality time together.”
She added that children not spending enough time outside was “heartbreaking”, explaining that she believes it’s vital to enjoy being outside so they grow up to become happy, healthy adults.
With the ‘Back to Nature’ garden’s opening also marking the one-year anniversary of the Royal Foundation establishing an expert committee on how to achieve the best outcomes in early childhood years, Kate gave a speech last weekend during which she talked about the challenges facing parents.
“I can understand that people are nervous about asking for help for fear of judgement, and how that sense of isolation can quickly become overriding and debilitating for any new parent,” she said.
It’s not the first time Kate, 37, has publicly expressed her support for struggling new parents. Like William, who is a strong advocate for mental-health support, her work has become focused on mental and physical wellbeing in young children.
In 2017 she broke with royal tradition by admitting that becoming a parent for the first time, with the birth of George in 2013, had been an “overwhelming experience”.
“Personally, becoming a mother has been such a rewarding and wonderful experience,” she explained for a charity film. “However, at times it has also been a huge challenge. Even for me who has support at home that most mothers do not.”
She added that while feeling
“Nature has huge benefits on our wellbeing ” —Kate
“joy, exhaustion, love and worry”, becoming a parent had transformed her.
“You go from thinking of yourself as primarily an individual, to suddenly being a mother, first and foremost,” she admitted.
Since those early years, Kate has been vocal about encouraging parents to reach out to each other for help and to work on finding their own style of parenting.
“There is no rule book, no right or wrong
– you just have to make it up and do the very best you can to care for your family,” she insists.
And over the years, it’s this open and modern philosophy, mixed in with aspects of royal traditions, that has made Kate an admired parent. This, she explains, is also the result of her own happy childhood growing up in rural Berkshire with her mum and dad, Carole and Michael Middleton and her two siblings, Pippa and James.
“My parents taught me about the importance of qualities like kindness, respect, and honesty, and I realise how central values like these have been to me throughout my life,” Kate said in 2017 during a school visit.
“That is why William and I want to teach our little children, George and Charlotte, just how important these things are as they grow up. In my view, it is just as important as excelling at maths or sport.”
But while they’re often seen at formal
occasions and official engagements, behind closed doors the Cambridges take part in all the activities most young families enjoy – and all the mess and chaos that comes with it.
When they’re at home, the children love doing crafts, William revealed during a BBC interview in 2017. He explained how George and Charlotte even made handmade gifts for the Queen’s birthday, which led Kate to quickly joke, “Are you taking credit for the arts and crafts?”
Making homemade pizzas is another family favourite with Kate explaining, “They love it because they can get their hands messy.”
In May 2018, Kate touched on how these easy, everyday activities with her children were the ones she most enjoyed, in an open letter to support Children’s Hospice Week. “Spending quality time together is such an important aspect of family life, and for me, as a mother, it is the simple family moments like playing outside together that I cherish.”
According to royals correspondent Rebecca English, during a March visit to a children’s centre, Kate admitted that her favourite part of motherhood is getting hugs from George, 5, Charlotte, 4, and baby Louis.
“Hugs are very important,” said Kate, while affectionately greeting a royal fan with one in October. “That’s what I tell my children.”