The Princess of Wales reportedly made one thing "very clear" about Prince George, Charlotte and Louis to the Royal Family and it took a "lot of courage".
Over the years we’ve seen the Princess of Wales take on even more responsibilities as she supports King Charles and Queen Camilla and prepares for her future role as Queen Consort. Balancing this heavy workload with life as a busy mother-of-three likely isn’t easy and she and Prince William are known to plan their schedules as much as possible around Prince George, Charlotte and Louis’s school terms and holidays. They’ve also strived to ensure all three have privacy and space at Adelaide Cottage and it’s been suggested that Kate made one thing "very clear" about her children to the late Queen Elizabeth and King Charles long ago.
Getting candid with Hello! Robert Jobson, author of new biography, Catherine: The Princess of Wales, has said that Kate told them that her children "have to come first". This was a move that he described as taking "a lot of courage" given her royal position.
"With her children, she made it very clear to both the late Queen and to the Prince of Wales, as he was – now the King – that she's not going to be rushed into doing things that she doesn't necessarily want to do," Robert alleged. "That takes quite a lot of courage, because you're in a very alien world."
The author added, "I think she realizes that she only has one shot at this. She's got three young children, and they have to come first."
Whilst it might have been a potentially daunting prospect, Kate’s reported decision to clearly lay out her priorities when it comes to Prince George, Charlotte and Louis makes complete sense. It doesn’t detract in any way from her commitment to her royal duties, but reflects that she is also a devoted mother and that this is a hugely significant part of her life.
It seems that Queen Elizabeth and King Charles also completely understood Kate’s priorities too. It’s been claimed over the years that they gave Prince William and Kate their blessing to put their children first when they were so young. According to Robert, this might be even more valuable to Kate given the future trajectory of her royal career.
The royal author said, "Her children are very, very young. This is a time she won't get back again. The difference between her and other people is that, in your career, you may have different phases. With her career, it's only going to get more and more official."
Already Prince George, Charlotte and Louis have been gently introduced to public life by their parents. However, this has tended to be at events with the rest of the Royal Family like Trooping the Colour, or else when they’ve accompanied one or both of their parents to sporting events like Wimbledon. Most of their time is still spent outside of the royal spotlight and a source previously claimed to PEOPLE that the Princess of Wales’s upbringing has inspired her and Prince William’s approach.
"Coming from a different background, she appreciates the importance of having family time," the source alleged. "She wasn't brought up in that aristocratic setting where you see the children for a short time each day."
The future Queen herself reflected on her "very happy" childhood and how hands-on Carole and Michael Middleton were during her appearance on Giovanna Fletcher’s Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast in 2020.
"My parents were hugely dedicated," Kate declared admiringly. "I really appreciate now as a parent how much they sacrificed for us. They came to every sports match, they’d be the ones on the side-line shouting, and we’d always have our family holidays together."