Kensington Palace shared an adorable photograph of little Princess Charlotte smelling a bluebell at the weekend taken by Duchess Catherine after the royal mum-of-three mentioned its significance to her during an appearance on the podcast Happy Mum, Happy Baby.
Opening up about parenting and pregnancy in a podcast with best-selling author Giovanna Fletcher, Duchess Catherine spoke about how she wants to raise her three children – Prince George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 4, and Prince Louis, 1 – and being able to share “the simple things” with them.
Speaking of her own childhood spent with her parents Carole and Michael Middleton and siblings Pippa and James, Duchess Catherine said: “I think the things that really resonate with me most are the simple things and actually I see that now with my own children.
“Life now is so busy, so distracting and actually sometimes the simple things like watching a fire on a really rainy day provides such enjoyment,” Kate told Giovanna.
“I remember that from my childhood – doing the simple things, going for a walk together, and that’s really what I try and do with my children as well because it totally strips away complications, all the pressures.”
The 38-year-old says spending time outdoors is one of her favourite things to do with her children and it’s something the Duchess has brought into her work in highlighting early childhood development, particularly through her ‘Back to Nature’ project that she worked on with the Royal Horticultural Society last year.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte enjoy the interactive garden Duchess Catherine helped design last year. (Image: Matt Porteous)
“It’s something I’m really passionate about,” Catherine said of spending time in nature.
“I think it’s so great for physical and mental wellbeing and laying those foundations. It’s such a great environment to actually spend time in, building those quality relationships without the distractions of ‘I’ve got to cook’ and ‘I’ve got to do this’. And actually, it’s so simple.”
And that’s what makes the photograph she took of Princess Charlotte smelling the flowers growing at their country home Anmer Hall all the more meaningful.
The photo, taken by the Duchess last year, is a previously unseen photo from the same series of photographs shared to mark the young princess’ fourth birthday last year.
“I’ve got this one photo of Charlotte smelling a bluebell, and really for me, it’s moments like that that mean so much to me as a parent, and I try every day to put moments like that in, even if they’re small or even if I don’t have time… but that in an ideal world is what I would like to do.
“It’s the simple things that really make a difference,” Kate added.
“It’s spending quality time with your children, it’s not whether you’ve done every single drop-off and every single pick-up.”
Another photograph Catherine took of Princess Charlotte, shared on her fourth birthday last year. (Image: Duchess of Cambridge via PA)
During the same episode, as part of the Duchess’ promotion for her 5 Big Questions survey, the royal mum also spoke of the ‘mum guilt’ she felt confessing being forced to leave her children at home is a “constant challenge”.
“Yes absolutely,” Catherine said when Giovanna asks if she feels mum guilt.
“And anyone who doesn’t as a mother is actually lying,” she adds.
“Even this morning, coming to the nursery visit here – George and Charlotte were like ‘Mummy how could you possibly not be dropping us off at school this morning?’
“It’s a constant challenge. You hear it all the time from mums, even mums who aren’t necessarily working and aren’t pulled in the directions of having to juggle work life and family life.”
She also added that at times she feels guilty about the decisions she makes, saying there are many times she questions her own decisions and judgements, but says a “very wise man” once told her: “The more people you have around your children who are safe and loving and caring, the better.”
You can listen to the full episode of Duchess Catherine’s appearance on ‘Happy Mum, Happy Baby’ here.
