Princess Kate's heartfelt admission to Queen Elizabeth about family life

The devoted Princess of Wales normally carries out over a hundred engagements per year whilst parenting Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, six, but she once had a heartfelt chat with Queen Elizabeth II about balancing work and family life.

When their eldest child was born in 2013, Kate and William were said to be against hiring additional help, but the royal duo eventually hired a permanent nanny, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, who had trained at Norland College.

Royal expert, Katie Nicholl, explained Kate had opened up to the late Queen to talk about motherhood. She explained that Kate wanted to be a "hands on parent" so initially held off from hiring.

Speaking in True Royalty’s documentary, Kate Middleton: Heir We Go Again, Nicholl said: "Kate was having a conversation with the Queen in which she confided that she had found being with George on her own, and not having a full-time nanny or a maternity nurse, very hard.

"William and Kate wanted to be hands-on parents, and they did it until September and then they recruited a nanny."

The royals, on average, complete many engagements per year, with Princess Kate conducting 128 royal engagements in 2023 as revealed by the Telegraph in an analysis of public events and official meetings published in the Court Circular.

Commenting on the early days of balancing royal engagements with a newborn, Parenting writer, Kelly Rose Bradford, also explained: "I think despite their good intentions the first time around, Kate and William did soon realise they couldn’t hold down their jobs and also care full time for their child."

A family member who is thought to have stepped up to grandparent duties was Carole Middleton. Katie said: "One of the things that allows William and Kate to be so ordinary is the presence of the Middletons in their lives…[Carole] turns up to help with bedtime and bath time. She is absolutely indispensable."

Kate's parents would have been of help when Princess Kate was pregnant with Prince George. Back in 2012, when Kate was pregnant she was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum, which is acute morning sickness. Prince William had to rush his wife to hospital where she remained for several days.

Kate had the same experience while with Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis and had to cancel a royal tour in 2014 because of it. The Princess of Wales has previously opened up about her experience during a visit to the Orchards Centre in Kent in 2023.

Speaking to a father who told the royal about what his wife was experiencing, Kate said: "I went through that. I know what that feels like." Three years earlier, Kate talked about her condition on Giovanna Fletcher's Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast.

She said: "[It was] utterly rotten. I was really sick. I wasn't eating the things I should be eating and yet the body was still able to take all the goodness from my body and to grow new life, which I think is fascinating."

She added: "William didn't feel he could do much to help and it's hard to see you're suffering without actually being able to do anything about it."

The royal even admitted that she preferred being in labour than pregnant due to the severity of her condition.