There has always been a lot on Kate Middleton's shoulders since she became a royal, but these days, it seems like her workload just won't let up. First, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry stepped down as working royals and heaped lots of extra work on the remaining royals. Then, the world hit a health snag that required a lot more work from the Duchess of Cambridge, as both a royal and a parent. She's been in overdrive ever since.
Despite what surely must be an uncomfortable amount of responsibility, if she's struggling, she rarely shows it. Kate has always been great at smiling for the cameras and dealing with her personal stuff out of the limelight.
… but not even a duchess can keep that facade up 100% of the time. Recently, there have been some signs that Kate is stretched a little too thin. That's a lot of pressure, and if Kate was cracking under it, we could hardly blame her. Just look at everything she's taken on this year.
We cannot imagine that comes with being a royal — and a royal mom on top of that — but it looks like Kate Middleton has been taking things in stride to the best of her ability, though it has got to be hard. A royal insider told People magazine that everyone is watching the duchess's behavior closely. "I think the pressure is more about her public image, making sure she is wearing the right brands, showing the kids in less expensive clothing, especially right now. Small details, but they matter," the source claimed.
Here are 15 times Kate looked like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders.
Already Doing More Work
Things in 2020 got off to a really bad start for Kate when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down as working royals. Before that major move, there were basically only seven working royals — and now they're down two of the youngest, most modern ones. As a result, Kate's personal workload increased, as the royal family scrambled to cover for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in their absence.
Homeschooling Mom
Things went from bad to worse in March when the world locked down. Schools shuttered in the UK, meaning that Kate and William were tasked with being working royals who also had to homeschool their kids. Only, William wasn't really pulling his share of the load there. He recently said he doesn't have the patience for homeschooling, so Kate's been picking up the slack.
... And Full-Time Entertainer
Kate wasn't just her kids' teacher; she was also their full-time entertainer as the family self-isolated away from everyone — probably even the nanny. "Kate bakes and decorates cakes with the kids [on] the weekend to keep them entertained," a source claimed to Us Weekly. "The kitchen is always a complete mess by the end of it."
Let's take a guess of who's tasked with cleaning up the mess…
She May Not Send the Kids Back to School
Although some schools are opening back up, not all parents feel comfortable sending their children back. Kate seems to fall in that camp, with E! Online reporting that she may continue to keep the kids home, even after their school reopens. If Kate does, there will really be no reprieve from homeschooling for her for a long time.
Four Lockdown Birthdays to Plan
In the past, Kate has talked about how she loves to make her family's birthdays extra special. (She even bakes and decorates the cake herself.) Still, Kate had to do that four times through this lockdown period, with all of her kids — and her husband, Prince William — celebrating birthdays. In addition to the cakes, she had to plan fun parties for the children without being able to invite any of their other family or friends. Kate did the best she could by planning Zoom calls for her kiddos to speak with their loved ones.
Tasked With Explaining It All to the Kids
Pulling the kids from school and keeping them at home for months required an explanation, and Kate has talked about how it's tricky to explain the current state of the world to her little ones. (Apparently, another job that she instead of William was tasked with.) "It's hard to explain to a five and nearly six or seven year old what’s going on," she has said, adding that it's been tough on her to also not see her friends and family.
... And Teaching Them To Be Working Royals
In the middle of teaching her kids and helping them understand what's going on in the world, Kate hasn't let up on lessons on how to be a good working royal. She recently snapped photos of Princess Charlotte helping pass out food to those in need during this tough time. Kate sets the best example for how to be a giving person, and she hasn't taken a second off from that.
Her Hands-On Parenting Is in Jeopardy
For as much time as Kate has had to dedicate to her kids lately, she's also still trying to do it all. And without Harry and Meghan to pick up the slack, there are going to be times when she would maybe want to just be a mom instead of trying to add work into the mix. Considering how much Harry and Meghan value getting to spend time with their son, Archie, it's kind of cruel that their exit robs Kate of some of that.
Zoom Call Overload
Like many of us, Kate worked from home at the start of all this chaos. That didn't mean she was working less, though. If anything, she was doing more virtual engagements than ever to touch base with everyone during this tough time. She seemed to always be on a Zoom call with some organization, and that work pace had to have been exhausting — coupled with all her other responsibilities.
Being Her Own Hairdresser, Makeup Artist & Stylist
While in lockdown and doing a bunch of virtual meetings, Kate also had to do her own hair, makeup, and figure out her own style choices, because she was separated from her usual glam team. She did a great job doing it by herself, but we can't imagine the extra time that added to her day when she was already stretched so thin.
Still Expected To Be Put-Together
The public pressure on the Duchess of Cambridge is immense. It's unlikely that some would have cut her much slack if she had started showing up to Zooms without perfectly blown-out hair, or wrinkle-free stylish dresses. So not only was she doing more by herself, but Kate had to stay up to her usual put-together standards all the while.
Even More In-Person Work To Do Now
As things have started to reopen, Kate Middleton has been attending more in-person engagements. If it's even possible, that workload has also increased. In addition to being down Meghan and Harry, Queen Elizabeth also isn't doing engagements right now. She hasn't returned to a ton of public events yet as a safety measure, so the younger royals have even more work on their shoulders.
Royal Insiders Claim Kate Middleton Is Struggling
Although the palace refuted it, some supposed royal insiders told it to Tatler magazine, Kate has been drained ever since Meghan and Harry left, at the start of this year, and then things just never got better. "Kate is furious about the larger workload. She feels exhausted and trapped,” a source claimed. It would be hard to blame her if that was true.
Kensington Palace Tried to Shut Those Rumors Down
Kensington Palace says it's not true Kate is overwhelmed. A spokesperson for Kate and Will decried the Tatler story, claiming that it had "inaccuracies and false misrepresentations." However, because the palace so rarely addresses what the press writes about the royals, it almost seems like they're protesting too much.
The rumors may have just died out if they had ignored them.
Kate, Frankly, Just Looks Overwhelmed
Kate is literally at a place called the Island Leisure Amusement Arcade, and she couldn't look less excited. We can't blame her, though, this was engagement number, like, 100 since March. The palace can say whatever it wants, but it would be understandable if she was tired. Any normal human would be. It does sometimes seem like Kate isn't a normal human, but duchess title or not, she is — and the woman deserves a break.
