Royal staff members have shared behind-the-scenes insights into the lives of Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, including the common parenting practice the prince had never experienced
Kate Middleton, is said to have had to teach a relatively commonplace parenting activity to her husband, Prince William.
Intimate details of the royal couple’s private life and personal dynamic have been revealed by former royal staff members in a new book, Yes Ma’am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants, written by author Tom Quinn.
Prince William and his younger brother Harry grew up under constant public scrutiny, accompanying their parents King Charles and Princess Diana on numerous tours throughout their early childhood.
Every aspect of their lives – from their formative years and adolescence to their time at university and beyond – has been subject to relentless examination by both the public and the media.
Despite being born into considerable privilege, the pressures and expectations of royal life, coupled with the burden of living under the spotlight, brought with them significant drawbacks.
According to a former Kensington Palace maid, Kate reportedly had to teach Prince William how to give his children a piggyback because he’d never received one as a child.
The maid reportedly told author Quinn: “Kate had to explain many of the things that parents outside the royal family do with their children as a matter of course.
“She had to show him how to give the children a piggyback, for example. William said very quietly, ‘My father never gave me a piggyback.’”
Further revelations about life behind palace walls have also come to light. In an excerpt published in the Times, one former staff member told Quinn: “[King Charles and William] both get irritated very quickly. They are very picky. It comes naturally to them.”
In such circumstances, Kate frequently serves as the voice encouraging “calm”.
The insider added: “I don’t know where William would be without Kate – she hasn’t had everything done for her throughout her life, so she calms him down when he gets a bit fractious.
“She said he sometimes has to be treated as her fourth child.”
Kate received praise from other sources regarding how she navigated the complexities of palace life, as well as the “snooty” attitudes she initially encountered from certain staff members.
A former Kensington Palace employee told Quinn: “Kate is someone who slowly and carefully absorbs the atmosphere of a place, the relationship between people and the rules.
“She doesn’t jump in straight away and try to change everything to suit her way of thinking. She bides her time and is very intelligent and intuitive about other people, what they do and how they behave.”
They added: “She was also coached – not just by William, who wanted Kate to avoid the problems his mother had encountered, but also by the staff.
“Kate was always happy to accept advice both from the lower staff, with whom she got on very well, and from the courtiers, even though some of them were initially very snooty about her.”
Kate married Prince William on April 29, 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London, following a relationship that began in 2003.
Following their marriage, the Princess of Wales assumed the title Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge, while William received the titles Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, and Baron Carrickfergus.
On September 9 2022, Kate became Princess of Wales when William was created Prince of Wales by his father, King Charles III.
Prince William’s mother, Diana, held the title of Princess of Wales before her. She tragically died following a car crash in August 1997. She was 36.
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