Kate Middleton has truly become one of the most cherished members of the Royal Family. Besides her significant role as a senior working royal, the Princess of Wales is also a devoted mother of three. Along with Prince William, she strives to give their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, as normal a childhood as possible.
During her pregnancies, Kate faced some difficult moments. She once shared that she suffered from “rotten sickness” while expecting Prince George, and experienced similar challenges when she was pregnant with Princess Charlotte.
When considering whether to have a third child, William and Kate reportedly received advice against it. However, they chose to follow their hearts, and in time, Prince Louis joined the family.
In December 2012, Buckingham Palace announced that Prince William and Kate Middleton were expecting their first child. In July the following year, the couple welcomed their firstborn son and future king, Prince George.
Kate Middleton was ‘terrified’ after the birth of Prince George
Just hours after his birth, George made his first public appearance in front of a huge crowd outside the Lindo Wing in Paddington, London. His parents were naturally overjoyed, but at the same time, giving birth to a future king, and foremost her first child, was stressful for Kate Middleton.
Speaking on Giovanna Fletcher’s podcast Happy Mum, Happy Baby, the Princess of Wales said it was “terrifying” leaving the hospital.
On the podcast, the Princess of Wales was asked what it was like to welcome a life into this world when she knew thousands of people were already waiting to see the young boy.
“Yeah, slightly terrifying, slightly terrifying, I’m not going to lie. I like to decompartmentalize – what’s the word – compartmentalize, yes, the whole thing.” She also explained that she decided to follow in her late mother-in-law Diana’s footsteps and pose on the hospital steps with her little bundle of joy, as per the Mirror.
“Everyone had been so supportive, and both William and I were really conscious that this was something that everyone was excited about, and you know we’re hugely grateful for the support that the public had shown us, and actually for us to be able to share that joy and appreciation with the public, I felt was really important.”
“It wasn’t a place I wanted to hang around in”
The Princess of Wales continued: “But equally it was coupled with a newborn baby, inexperienced parents, and the uncertainty of what that held, so there were all sorts of mixed emotions.”
Fletcher also asked Kate if she remembered how long she had between giving birth to George and later posing on the Lindo Wing steps.
“Oh my gosh, I can’t remember. Everything goes in a bit of a blur,” Kate replied.
She concluded: “I think, yeah, I did stay in hospital overnight. I remember it was one of the hottest days and nights with huge thunderstorms, so I didn’t get a huge amount of sleep, but George did, which was really great. I was keen to get home because, for me, being in hospital, I had all the memories of being in hospital because of being sick so it wasn’t a place I wanted to hang around in. So, I was really desperate to get home and get back to normality.”
Ultimately, William, Kate, and the other royals aren’t more or less human than anybody else. Indeed, the Princess of Wales faced the same struggles as many other mothers while she was pregnant.
In 2012, when she was pregnant with George, Kate was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum, acute morning sickness. She was even forced to go to the hospital, an experience she recalled as “rotten.”
The Princess had the same experience while pregnant with Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. In 2014, she even had to cancel a royal tour because of her diagnosis.
Kate Middleton revealed she “quite liked” labor
During a visit to the Orchards Centre in Kent in 2023, the Princess of Wales decided to open up about her experience with acute morning sickness.
As reported by the Daily Express, Kate spoke to a father whose wife went through the same thing, telling him: “I went through that. I know what that feels like.”
In 2020, Kate was a guest on Giovanna Fletcher’s podcast Happy Mum, Happy Baby, and opened up further on her condition.
“[It was] utterly rotten. I was really sick,” she said. “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.”
“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.”
Kate added that she “quite liked” labor because she had felt bad during her pregnancy.
“Because actually, it was an event that I knew there was going to be an ending to,” she explained. “But I know some people have really, really difficult times, so it’s not for everybody. No pregnancy is the same, no birth is the same.”
Moreover, Kate began meditating and deep breathing excercises, both of which helped.
“I saw the power of it really, the meditation and the deep breathing and things like that, that they teach you in hypnobirthing, when I was really sick,” she said. “I got very bad morning sickness, so I’m not the happiest of pregnant people.”
The birth of Prince Louis
Podcast host Fletcher later asked: “Have you had it every time or just the first time?”
“Yes, unfortunately,” Kate responded. “Lots of people have it far, far worse, but it was definitely a challenge. Not just for me but also for your loved ones around you – and I think that’s the thing – being pregnant and having a newborn baby and things like that, impacts everybody in the family.”
Princess Charlotte was born in 2015 and it was two years later that William and Kate decided it was time for a third. On September 4, 2017, the couple announced the Princess of Wales was pregnant with their third child.
On April 23, 2018, Prince Louis was born at Lindo Wing at London St. Mary’s Hospital, just like his older siblings.
“Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 1101hrs. The baby weighs 8lbs 7oz. The Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth. Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well,” the statement read.
Just seven hours after being born, Prince Louis was presented to the world. Yet before he was born, Prince William and Kate Middleton had been warned about having a third child.
As reported by Marie Claire, during a 2017 tour in Poland and Germany, Kate was given a baby toy in the Polish capital and told William: “We’ll just have to have more babies.”
Kate Middleton and Prince William was warned about having a third child
However, not everyone was onboard with the idea. The Executive Director President Anne Green Carter Dillard of the children’s organization Having Kids – which promotes a “sustainable and child-centered family planned mode” – urged Prince William and Kate Middleton to rethink their decision.
In an open letter to the royals, Dillard stressed the importance of small families for the world’s resources.
“As you know and appreciate, the example the British Royal Family sets is extremely influential. Many studies also show that public figures serve as effective role models when it comes to family planning. Your discussion of having a larger family raises compelling issues of sustainability and equity,” the letter read.
“Large families are not sustainable.”
Kate Middleton has reminisced about her early days of motherhood several times. In 2022, while visiting the Royal Surrey County Hospital’s postnatal ward, she said of Louis: “I keep thinking Louis is a baby but he’s a big boy now. It just feels like yesterday.”
Moreover, the Princess of Wales explained that giving birth was a “shock to the system,” and that it doesn’t matter how well prepared you might be.
“No matter how much everyone tells you what you expect, it’s a shock to the system, isn’t it?” Kate told some mothers at the hospital
“You have this idea of what will happen but every single birth is different.”
Kate Middleton craved odd food when pregnant with Prince Louis
Amy Stubbs, who is the deputy director of midwifery at Royal Surrey County Hospital, told People that the princess got along great with the new parents she talked to.
“She was easy to relate to.” Stubbs said, “She talked a lot about how she felt when she became a mother.”
“All she did was talk about her own kids and how they chose their names.” A lot of the new parents are thinking about what names to give their children, so they asked her how Kate and William chose theirs.