UNDER PRESSURE: ‘I FEEL PULLED IN SO MANY DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS'

WITH PASSIONATE PROJECTS EMOTIONAL REUNIONS AND A NEW MEMBER OF THE FAMILY LIFE FOR THE DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE IS VERY BUSY

- KAT ROMERO

The Duchess of Cambridge has made no secret of how difficult she has found homeschooling during the pandemic. But in a recent video call with fellow parents, Kate was refreshingly honest about her struggles and fears, admitting, “I feel pulled in so many different directions.”

During a Zoom conversation last week with three parents whose children attend Roe Green Junior School in Brent, Kate, 39, was asked to name one word that summed up homeschooling. “Exhausting,” she replied.

The mum-of-three, who has Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, two, added, “I’ve become a hairdresser this lockdown, much to my children’s horror, seeing Mum cutting hair. We’ve had to become a teacher – and I think, personally, I feel pulled in so many different directions and you try your best with everything, but at the end of the day I do feel exhausted.”

The parents were then asked to name who had been their support system during the crisis and in a touching tribute to her husband, Kate simply wrote “William”.

The group also discussed the challenges many families are facing during these tough times, the importance of prioritising parents’ mental wellbeing and the connection this has to their children’s mental health. This is something Kate’s work and research with Early Years has focused on.