KATE OPENS UP
KATE’S LEADING THE CHARGE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
The duchess as you’ve never heard her before
She’s often hailed as the great moderniser of the monarchy. And now, in what can only be described as an astonishing week for royal watchers, the Duchess of Cambridge has led an unprecedented peek behind the curtain into her and her family’s lives.
While we were treated to plenty of details about everyday life inside the gates of Kensington Palace – such as Kate and Prince William’s takeaway of choice and their taste in music – what was truly remarkable was the candid nature of Kate (35), William (34) and Prince Harry’s discussions around mental health, with the trio revealing they have all, at times, struggled.
Grief, love, loss, confusion, insecurity and confidence were all discussed in a handful of interviews the royal trio gave to promote Heads Together, which was the official charity of this year’s London Marathon.
The threesome have tried their best to appear relatable, down-to-earth and vulnerable as they continue to promote their mental health charity, clearly realising that if they’re going to talk the talk, they’ll have to walk the walk.
While Harry’s admission last week that he almost suffered a breakdown by failing to deal with the death of his mum Princess Diana made global headlines – with Kate praising her “heroic” brother-in-law for his candour – the duchess had her own confession to make: that she struggled through the first days of motherhood, which “unleashed insecurities” she didn’t even know she had.
In a video where Kate, William and Harry (32) sit around a picnic table in the Kensington Palace grounds, Kate admitted she had “mixed emotions” after she gave birth to Prince George (3).
“Having a child, particularly your first child, is such a lifechanging moment,” she says. “Nothing can really prepare you for that.”
She asked husband William, “Remember the first few days with little George? You have no idea really what you’re doing. No matter how many books you read, nothing can prepare you for it.”
The seven-minute video is the first in-depth chat the public has seen between the tight trio, which saw William and Harry admit the Heads Together campaign had made them realise they hadn’t talked enough about their mum since her death in 1997.
“No, never enough,” says Harry. “I always thought to myself, what’s the point of bringing up the past, what’s the point of bringing something up that’s only going to make you sad, it ain’t going to change it, it ain’t going to bring her back, and when you start thinking about that, it can be very damaging.”
Kate went on to comment on the brothers’ “amazingly close” relationship – to which William cheekily interrupted with “most of the time!” as Harry laughed.
“We’ve been brought closer because of the circumstances and we are uniquely bonded by what we’ve been through,” said William.
On a lighter note, Kate and William also participated in their first-ever radio interview with BBC Radio 1, stopping into the studio to once again promote Heads Together. However, the chat quickly turned to the delightfully mundane details of their life.
The pair revealed one of their favourite things to do is to enjoy a night in with takeaways and a TV series – Game of Thrones, ironically, being a must-watch.
“Curry, definitely [is our favourite takeaway],” said Kate.
“You struggle for choice, though,” she added, turning to William, who nodded. “I’m not so good with the spicy food!” he laughed.
The couple, who celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary last week, did admit they don’t run out and get their dinner – a staff member does that job.
However, nights in by themselves are few and far between, so Kate and William watch a lot of children’s television courtesy of George and Princess Charlotte, who turns two this week.
‘ No matter how many books you read, nothing can prepare you for it’
“Some of them are really good,” William began, “but you have to pretend you’re really interested in it because George gets upset if you’re not showing due diligence to the characters.
“Fireman Sam is getting a lot of attention. George has gone past the Peppa Pig stage and Charlotte will probably be into Peppa Pig soon.”
They also revealed they’ve delegated the task of creating presents for the Queen to her great-grandchildren, adding George and Charlotte came up with some arts and crafts for her 91st birthday last week.
This personable, relatable side of the royals is a contrast to the “never complain, never explain” mentality of former generations. It’s clear this new accessible and compassionate approach is here to stay for the trio.