Kate Middleton has been a renegade in many ways since joining the royal family in 2011. Who else could look that fabulous and wear high heels just hours after giving birth? Whether it be her college degree or her fashion choices, the Princess of Wales has made it clear that she plans to remain her own person while still adhering to the royal conventions. But not with everything. As a mom, Kate has set rules and boundaries for herself and her kids, and sometimes that means breaking royal traditions. Because royalty or not, a good mom is always going to do what is best for her kids.
Now, although she hasn’t done anything super out there in terms of breaking royal protocol, Kate has opted to do things her way quite a few times. Ever since the birth of her first child, Prince George, the princess has branded herself as a hands-on mom, which is not often the case when it comes to royal kids.
Kate clearly prefers to do things herself and wants to be actively involved in her children’s lives. And we have to applaud her for that. As a member of the royal family, she has myriad options open to her, allowing her to pass on the parenting to someone else — but Kate doesn’t do that. She handles every meltdown, tantrum, and hissy fit that comes her way, and she handles them in heels and in the public eye. And as we well know, she deals with the criticism that comes with it, too.
So enjoy 17 times Kate broke all the rules by being the mom she wants to be — not the mom royal tradition tells her to be.
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Chasing After the Kiddos
One wouldn’t expect to see a princess chasing after her kids in public. Kate doesn’t seem to care, though — but then again, she never has when it comes to the opportunity to enjoy a nice day with her children. This is just one of many times that we’d see Kate running around and having a good time with her kids (even in a sundress), and it seems like something she truly enjoys doing.
Tending to Charlotte
At Trooping the Colour, all eyes are on the royal family. But if Kate’s baby girl is having a bad time, you’d better believe that she is going to put her daughter first. It’s easy to understand why Princess Charlotte was getting cranky — after all, it must have been hot out there, and there’s only so much standing out on a balcony that one toddler can take. Luckily, her mom was ready to calm her down.
Maternity Leave
Traditionally, royals are entitled to six months of maternity leave if they wish, but of course, Kate stepped in and out of the spotlight after the births of her three kids — and that includes making a public appearance the same day she delivered each of them. Props to Kate for pulling that off, because most moms who’d just delivered a baby wouldn’t want to leave the hospital bed, let alone greet a crowd in full hair and makeup.
Being the Family Photographer
The royal family undoubtedly has a number of professional photographers on hand to document important moments, but Kate prefers to do it herself — and after seeing the sweet way she manages to capture her family with her own creative eye, it’s so easy to see why. Case in point: This grin that only Kate could have gotten out of her daughter for her 2022 birthday portraits.
She's Not Afraid of Discipline
All parenting involves disciplining your kids at some point — and many times in public. And for Kate, that usually means those public moments also happen to be on camera, even during special family events. Here, Kate wasn’t shy about telling little Charlotte to quiet down before sister Pippa’s wedding started … and this is hardly the only time we’ve seen Kate lay down the law to one of her kids.
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Handling the Meltdowns
Toddlers are going to cry and fuss. It’s inevitable. But rather than handing her daughter off to someone else to take care of, Kate dealt with Charlotte’s breakdown herself, and as we know from the past, it’s probably because she’s a total pro. Look, traveling is hard; traveling with young kids is even harder. But Kate knew exactly what to do when one of her kids started melting down.
Nanny Reluctance
Because Kate likes to do the parenting herself, she was reluctant to hire a nanny. But like any mom, she needs a little help. And with her royally busy schedule, the princess probably needs even more help, because it’s not like she gets too many days off. It’s OK, Kate — most working parents have to use some kind of child care, so it’s definitely not a reflection on her as a mother.
Meeting World Leaders in PJs
We couldn’t imagine any other royal mom allowing an heir to the throne to meet a world leader in his PJs — no matter how old he is! But we’re sure glad that Kate allowed George to be himself in this moment, because it really made for some amazing photos. Just think of George looking back on these pictures when he’s older, seeing his tiny self in a robe as he chatted with US President Barack Obama.
She Does Most of the Mom Duties
She may be a future queen, but that doesn’t stop Kate from taking her kids to birthday parties — or attending school functions, or doing basically anything else that an involved mom would want to do. It’s so sweet that she loves having that one-on-one time with her children, but why wouldn’t she? She obviously loves Charlotte, George, and Louis so much.
Showing Affection
Now, we don’t mean to say that the royals don’t love their children, but we just don’t typically see them showing their affection in public. Not Kate. The princess has no problem holding her kids’ hands when cameras are present, and it’s really sweet to see. Regardless of what her royal expectations might be, Kate never lets it get in the way of her bond with all three of her children.
Arriving Late to Easter Service
The late Queen Elizabeth disliked when anyone in her family rolled up late to an event, but Kate and William had two kids to take care of at the time. Let’s give them a break — it’s impossible to expect anyone, royal or not, to always be perfectly punctual when there are young children involved. Plus, Kate was just weeks away from giving birth to Louis, so she gets an extra pregnancy pass for that one. Let the lady live!
Not Having Kids Right Away
Royals typically like to have an heir as soon as possible, so they often get the ball rolling with starting a family within the first year of marriage. But William and Kate waited about two years after they were married to start their family. It’s hard to know exactly why this happened — or if it was intentional — but we do love that they had a little extra time in the beginning of their marriage to settle into their new life together.
Keeping the Kids Outside of London
While William and Kate do have their own apartment in Kensington Palace, the family also has homes outside of London. They used to spend most of their downtime at Anmer Hall in Norfolk, which makes sense — for them and their little branch of the family tree, it’s likely a lot more comfortable and private. They made the move to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor in 2022 to raise their kids away from city life.
Dropping the Kids Off at School
Kate is just a regular mom like everyone else. She has been spotted dropping George and Charlotte off at their school during the week — which isn’t something you would expect a princess to do. It seems like whatever bit of normalcy Kate can give them (and herself), she does, every single time. What a mom!
Charlotte's Schooling
Kate and William decided to not send Charlotte to an all girls school when she was of age. We love that this new generation of royal parents is making their own decisions for what’s best for their kids, instead of following traditions that may not work for them.
Letting the Kids Be Kids
During the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Louis was in rare form — and this led to a lot of criticism of Kate’s parenting. But Louis was just behaving like any 4-year-old would in the middle of a boring family event, and it was easy to see that Kate was just letting him act like a kid. He might be royal, but he’s still 4!
Baking Together
Kate isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty when it means having fun with her kids. Before the Platinum Jubilee, Kate shared these photos of her baking cookies for the people expected to be at an event they were attending, with Louis, George, and Charlotte all involved in the kitchen.
