As a mum of three, Kate Middleton knows firsthand the struggles parents can face.
And while she has trusty nanny Maria Turrion Borallo to help her with Prince George, 5, Princess Charlotte, 3, and 9-month-old Prince Louis, she expressed her solidarity and empathy with other parents and carers during a visit to the charity Family Action on Tuesday.
“It’s so hard. You get a lot of support with the baby as a mother particularly in the early days, but after the age of 1 it falls away,” she said during her visit. “After that there isn’t a huge amount — lots of books to read.”
“Everybody experiences the same struggle,” she added.
The royal was on-hand to launch a new U.K. support line for the charity that uses a network of volunteers from across the country to support parents and caregivers virtually through telephone calls, email and text messaging.
Deidre, from Islington, north London, and her aunt, Dawn Daley, 46, told Kate how Family Action had helped them as they struggled to look after Deidre’s two children who both have a genetic disorder called neurofibromatosis.
“When she came in it felt like just another friend,” Dawn says. “She was really nice, she was easy to talk to and interacted with us all. And she listened. And when we got emotional she was a bit . . . you know!
“She was saying we were brave to be able to speak about our stories and come out and speak about what’s happening with us. She was very compassionate. I was scared – should I curtsy, should I say Ma’am. But from the time she walked in there was this presence and everyone just felt at ease.”
“She’s a mum and it wasn’t easy for her, as well, so it was really good [her coming],” she adds.
“That royal thing went out the window once she sat down.”
Kate also listened to the stories of a group of young carers, who look after fellow family members. Alysha, 16, says, “She was really friendly, open and kind and made me feel really comfortable. She was asking a lot of questions.”
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