‘Terrified’ couple practised leaving hospital with doll
KATE and William practised presenting baby George to the world with a doll, she has revealed.
The Duchess, who was lauded for the flawless feat, also admitted she was “terrified” about meeting the media as a new mum.
She and William, she added, were hugely grateful for the public’s support following George’s arrival on July 22, 2013 – even though she found the bank of cameras outside St Mary’s Hospital daunting.
She told podcaster Giovanna Fletcher: “Yeah, [it was] slightly terrifying, slightly terrifying, I’m not going to lie.”
Kate, then 31, had stayed in the London hospital overnight after giving birth.
She said: “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.
“I was keen to get home because I had all the memories of being in 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. But I think you think, particularly with your first-born, you think everything is going to go back to how it was.
“I totally underestimated the impact and the change it had on our lives.
“No amount of planning and preparation can get you ready for that moment.” Giovanna then complimented Wills for the seamless way he strapped George into his car seat.
Kate giggled as she said: “He probably didn’t think so at the time! we were like ‘What do we do?... how’s this supposed to work?!’
“We’d even tried to practise with a little baby, like a little doll, at home but, you know, it just never works out the way you planned it, so it was quite hard to do that on the world’s stage, but no, he did a very good job.”
The two women also agreed that no amount of reading books could prepare parents for taking a child home. Giovanna said: “I can remember just that eerie silence.you kind of go ‘What?’”
Kate said: “It wasn’t that quiet in our household!
“William was like, ‘Oh gosh, is this what parenting is going to be like?’”