Kate Middleton wasn't born into royalty, so a lot of her parenting decisions have been informed by her "commoner" childhood. As such, Kate Middleton is a pretty regular mom, just like most of us. Sure, she has a lot of money at at her disposal and fancy events to attend, and she always looks so glam. But when it comes to raising Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, she makes a lot of the same choices we would.
It's true that Kate sometimes has the help of a nanny, but for the most part, she does a lot of the motherhood legwork on her own. Important things — like school drop-offs, birthday cakes, and playtime — aren't handed off to the nanny. Kate gets involved in all aspects of her children's lives.
The Duchess of Cambridge has been more hands-on than ever lately with the whole family staying home together. She's been tasked with entertaining and educating her kids, as well as dealing with mundane things — like cutting their hair. She's done it all on her own of late, and it's been no surprise that she's handled it very well. She was raised by a hands-on mom, and she's become a hands-on mom herself.
That's not to say that Kate doesn't have her royal mom moments. After all, she's raising the future king of England. But even when she's with her children at fancy monarchy events, she has an air of normalcy about her. Kate is not afraid of making a funny face to entertain a little one on the Buckingham Palace balcony, or soothing a tantrum in front of the paparazzi, or wiping drool off her dress at a formal event.She may have a fancy title and a fancy job, but deep down, Kate is just like us.
Letting Louis get messy
Playing with the kids
She may be perfectly polished at all of her royal events, but at home, Kate loves playing with her children and making memories with them. And if she brings the kids along with her to an event, she can often be caught chasing after George, playing around with Charlotte, or making funny faces at Louis. Her royal work definitely comes second to having fun with her kiddos.
Sending Charlotte and George to a "normal" school
Will and Kate are doing things differently with their children. William and Harry were sent off to all-boys boarding schools, while Kate's kids go to a co-ed day school. That means they get to come home every day, and there are both boys and girls in their classes. It's a much more modern approach to educating a young royal than in the past.
School drop-off
Not only do Kate's kids go to a regular school, but she even does the drop-off herself. As Vogue reported, the first time she left George at school, she had a big realization.
"As a mother just getting used to leaving my own child at the school gates, it is clear to me that it takes a whole community to help raise a child," she said. "Whether we are school leaders, teachers, support staff, or parents – we're all in this together. We are all working to give children the emotional strength they need to face their futures and thrive.”
Helping with homeschooling
Now that school is online for the foreseeable future, the duchess has become a homeschool teacher for Charlotte and George. "Kate is leading on most of the teaching. She spends time every day doing something with them," a source said about the mom's isolation education schedule. They could have hired an online tutor for the children, but Kate is just like us in that she took on the teacher role herself.
Baking birthday cakes
Kate could very well have the royal chef prepare fancy desserts for her little ones, but she loves making her children's birthday cakes herself. "It's become a bit of a tradition that I stay up till midnight with ridiculous amounts of cake mix and icing and I make far too much. But I love it," she said about the sweet tradition. We love how hands-on she is in every aspect of her children's lives.
Encouraging the kids to bake, too
Since Kate is a fan of baking, she's encouraged her kids to partake in the activity as well. It's come in handy now that there are so many hours in the day to keep the kids occupied. "Kate bakes and decorates cakes with the kids [on] the weekend to keep them entertained," a source told Us Weekly. "The kitchen is always a complete mess by the end of it, but it's all part of the fun — that's how Kate sees it."
