It’s been 10 years Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the knot, and a lot has changed since that day. Perhaps most notably, they’ve welcomed three children ― Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Since becoming parents in 2013, the royal couple has opened up about the joys and challenges of raising children, from the fragility of newborns to children’s TV shows to maternal and paternal mental health.
In honor of their wedding anniversary, we’ve compiled 25 quotes about parenthood from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
On Transitioning Into Parenthood
“There’s wonderful highs and there’s wonderful lows. It’s been quite a change for me personally. I’m very lucky in the support I have from Catherine. She’s an amazing mother and a fantastic wife. But I’ve struggled at times. The alteration from being a single, independent man to going into marriage and then having children is life-changing. I adore my children very much, and I’ve learned a lot about myself and about family just from having my own children. It’s amazing how much you pick up from just in those moments.” ― The Duke of Cambridge, 2016
On Meaningful Moments Outside
“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 all the complications, all the pressures. ... It’s such a great environment to actually spend time 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. I’ve got this one photo of Charlotte smelling a bluebell and I just ― 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, even if I don’t have time.” ― The Duchess of Cambridge, 2020
On Raising Emotionally Intelligent Children
“Like most parents today, William and I would not hesitate to seek help for our children if they needed it. We hope to encourage George and Charlotte to speak about their feelings, and to give them the tools and sensitivity to be supportive peers to their friends as they get older. We know there is no shame in a young child struggling with their emotions or suffering from a mental illness. Of course, for some parents and carers, seeking help is not so easy. When families are short of time or money, it is not always easy to know where to look for help or advice. That is why we need schools and communities to play their full role to help children who are struggling in ways that are not always easy to see.” ― The Duchess of Cambridge, 2016
On Taking Care Of A Baby
“It’s very daunting how tiny they are when they first arrive. They are so fragile, tiny little fingers and toes. You do feel like if you move them around too much, they are going to break, but they don’t. Wait until they’re nine months, and they’ll be off.” ― The Duke of Cambridge, 2019
On Parenting During The Pandemic
“I think as parents, you’ve [got] the day-to-day elements of being a parent, but I suppose during lockdown we have had to take on additional roles that perhaps others in our communities, or in our lives, would have perhaps supported us and helped us with. ... 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 Duchess of Cambridge, 2021
On Prioritizing Mental Health
“It is often said that fathers can often find it hard to talk about their own feelings so there’s no wonder they struggle to speak to their son or daughter about the topic. But we don’t really have a choice. I really believe that a child’s mental health is just as important as his or her physical health.” ― The Duke of Cambridge, 2016
On The Loneliness Of Motherhood
“It is lonely at times and you do feel quite isolated, but actually so many other mothers are going through exactly what you are going through.” ― The Duchess of Cambridge, 2017
On Seeking Help
“Some of this fear is about the pressure to be a perfect parent ― pretending we’re all coping perfectly and loving every minute of it. It is right to talk about motherhood as a wonderful thing, but we also need to talk about its stresses and strains. It’s OK not to find it easy, and asking for help should not be seen as a sign of weakness. If any of us caught a fever during pregnancy, we would seek advice and support from a doctor. Getting help with our mental health is no different. Our children need us to look after ourselves and get the support we need.” ― The Duchess of Cambridge, 2017
On Becoming An Uncle
“I’m very pleased and glad to welcome my brother to the sleep deprivation society that is parenting!” ― The Duke of Cambridge, 2019
On Having A Son And A Daughter
“George is a right little rascal sometimes. He keeps me on my toes, but he’s a sweet boy. And Charlotte — bearing in mind I haven’t had a sister, so having a daughter is a very different dynamic. So I’m learning about having a daughter, having a girl in the family.” ― The Duke of Cambridge, 2016
On Instilling Important Values In Children
“My parents taught me about the importance of qualities like kindness, respect and honesty. I realize how central values like these have been to me throughout my life. That is why William and I want to teach our little children, George and Charlotte, just how important these things are as they grow up. In my view, it is just as important as excelling at maths or sport.” ― The Duchess of Cambridge, 2017
On The Complex Challenge Of Motherhood
“Personally, becoming a mother has been such a rewarding and wonderful experience. However, at times it has also been a huge challenge, even for me, who has support at home that most mothers do not. Nothing can really prepare you for the sheer overwhelming experience of what it means to become a mother. It is full of complex emotions of joy, exhaustion, love and worry all mixed together. Your fundamental identity changes overnight. You go from thinking of yourself as primarily an individual to suddenly being a mother, first and foremost. And yet, there is no rule book, no right or wrong — you just have to make it up and do the very best you can to care for your family. For many mothers, myself included, this can at times lead to lack of confidence and feelings of ignorance. Sadly, for some mothers, this experience can be made so much harder due to challenges with their own mental health.” ― The Duchess of Cambridge, 2017
On George’s Christmas List
“George has already written his list for Father Christmas. He loves his drawing. He’s a very good drawer. We might get him something for drawing. Or football ― he is loving his football as well. ... I try not to be biased. I said, ‘You can support anyone but Chelsea.’ So naturally, he supports Chelsea.” ― The Duke of Cambridge, 2019
On Homeschooling
“We’re stuck into home schooling again. George gets very upset because he just wants to do all of Charlotte’s projects. Spider sandwiches are far cooler than literacy work!” ― The Duchess of Cambridge, 2020
On Goals For The Future
“I worry about the future more. When you have something or someone in your life to give the future to, I think it focuses the mind more about what you’re giving them and are you happy that you’ve done all you can to leave it in a good state. I would like them to grow up with more simple aspirations. I think there’s a lot of huge aspirations and people living with an enormous amount of stuff that they don’t necessarily need. The materialism of the world I find quite tricky sometimes.” ― The Duke of Cambridge, 2016
On George’s Favorite Shows And Movies
“He quite likes ‘The Lion King.’ We’ve watched that a few times. He’s watched ‘Octonauts’ several times. He has watched some Lego movies as well, so he’s watched a lot of things like that.” ― The Duke of Cambridge, 2017
On Affection
“Hugs are very important. That’s what I tell my children.” ― The Duchess of Cambridge, 2018
On Watching ‘Fireman Sam’
“Some of them are really good, but you have to pretend you’re really interested because George gets very upset if you’re not showing due diligence to the characters.” ― The Duke of Cambridge, 2017
On Louis’ First Words
“One of Louis’ first words was “Mary,” because right at his height are all my cooking books in the kitchen bookshelf. And children are really fascinated by faces, and your faces are all over your cooking books and he would say, ‘That’s Mary Berry.’ [He] would definitely recognize you if he saw you today.” ― The Duchess of Cambridge, 2019
On Talking About Difficult Topics
“Catherine and I are clear that we want both George and Charlotte to grow up feeling able to talk about their emotions and feelings. Over the past year, we have visited a number of schools together where we have been amazed listening to children talk about some quite difficult subjects in a really clear and emotionally articulate way — something most adults would struggle with. Seeing this has really given me hope that things are changing and that there is a generation coming up who find it normal to talk openly about their emotions. Emotional intelligence is key for us all to deal with the complexities of life and relationships.” ― The Duke of Cambridge, 2017
On The Evolving Experience
“It’s so hard. You get a lot of support with the baby as a mother particularly in the early days, but after the age of 1, it falls away. After that, there isn’t a huge amount — lots of books to read.” ― The Duchess of Cambridge, 2019
On Social Distancing With Little Ones
“Louis doesn’t understand social distancing. He goes out wanting to cuddle anything, particularly any babies younger than him.” ― The Duchess of Cambridge, 2020
On Learning About Animal Extinction With George
“He’s 7 years old, and he’s asking me these questions already. He really feels it, and I think every 7-year-old out there can relate to that. I really feel from an emotional point of view as well, I think every parent, everyone wants to do the best for their children. And I think we have to have a decade of change, a decade of repairing the planet so that we can hand it on to the next generation and future generations and sustain the prosperity for their lives, too.” ― The Duke of Cambridge, 2020
On Mealtime With Kids
“If the parents put on something that the children love, dinnertime goes very well. But if you put something on the table they don’t want to do, that’s another ball game.” ― The Duke of Cambridge, 2020
On Quality Time
“Spending quality time together is such an important aspect of family life. And for me, as a mother, it’s the simple family moments like playing outside together that I cherish.” ― The Duchess of Cambridge, 2018
