Beyond candid! Duchess Kate and Prince William have opened up about their parenthood journey on multiple occasions while raising Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — and the royals haven’t held back.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wed in April 2011 at Westminster Abbey. Kate announced in December of the following year that she was pregnant with their first child.
George arrived in July 2013, followed by Charlotte and Louis in May 2015 and April 2018, respectively. The duke and duchess have since taken a “modern approach” to bringing up their little ones.
“The royals are renowned for being ‘stiff upper lip,’ but William and Kate … are moving away from that mentality,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly in July 2021. “Open communication is key for them. … [But they] set boundaries and have rules in place.”
The couple’s goal is for the three siblings “to express their emotions and ask questions to enable them to grow up as healthy adults,” the insider added at the time.
Kate has “always” planned to welcome a fourth child, another source told Us in February 2021, noting that she and William were “trying” to conceive baby No. 4.
“She put the idea on hold when [the coronavirus pandemic] hit, but now there is light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccine … and she feels ready to start trying again,” the insider explained at the time. “It took a while for Kate to convince William, though. He said that three children [are] more than enough. The thought of having four made him feel overwhelmed. … But Kate’s desires to have another child have inspired him, and at the end of the day, he loves and appreciates the secure family setting he never had growing up. Why not make it bigger? After taking some time to think about it, he’s on the same page and is excited about the future.”
Queen Elizabeth II would be “overjoyed” by this, with the source telling Us, “She adores her great-grandchildren. She’s slightly concerned that the Cambridges are biting off more than they can chew, especially as Kate isn’t planning to employ another nanny (as she wants to be hands-on), but as long as they’re happy, she’s happy.”
Kate’s sister, Pippa Middleton, welcomed her second child, Grace, that same year, which made the future queen consort feel “broody” and more aware that her “clock [was] ticking.”
Since Kate and Pippa have maintained a close bond, the elder sibling hoped to give her own daughter “the same enjoyable experience … grow[ing] up with a little sister to confide in and look out for.”
Scroll through to see Kate and William’s most memorable quotes about raising kids: