Duchess Catherine and Prince William’s most candid parenting quotes

There’s no denying Duchess Catherine and Prince William are great parents.

They’ve done away with the “stiff upper lip” parenting strategy of royals before them, and are constantly seen actively listening, laughing with and loving George, Charlotte and Louis.

Many have quickly pointed out how much their cheeky and affectionate relationship mirrors that of Princess Di’s with a young Harry and Will.

After all, it was Diana who threw out the royal rule book and insisted her children join her when they travelled overseas on royal tours.

Before Lady Di, this was unheard of and royal children would spend months apart from their parents.

See below: Kate and Will’s best parenting quotes from over the years that are honest, relatable, and prove they’re excellent at raising their babies.

1. On the loneliness of pregnancy: “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,” Kate told women at the Global Academy in April 2017.

“It is being brave enough, like you obviously were, to reach out to those around you.”

On their children’s emotional growth: “Catherine and I are clear that we want both George and Charlotte to grow up feeling able to talk about their emotions and feelings,” Will shared.

“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 clear and emotionally articulate way, something most adults would struggle with.”

On how important the mental health of her own children is to her: “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.”

2. On the values they hope George and Charlotte to have: “My parents taught me about the importance of qualities like kindness, respect, and honesty, and 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.”

VIDEO: Duchess Catherine proudly talks about her eldest starting school.

3. On just how challenging parenting is: “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 you 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.”

“If any of us caught a fever during pregnancy, we would seek advice and support from a doctor,” she continued. “Getting help with our mental health is no different – our children need us to look after ourselves and get the support we need.”

4. Proof the pair have a lot of humour: “I hope that George doesn’t keep you up. He has been known to be particularly vocal at 3 am,” William told his hosts while in New Zealand. “I swear I heard him doing the haka this morning.”

When talking about brand new baby George, Will told the press: “He’s got her looks, thankfully,” to which Kate laughingly replied, “No, no, no.”

5. On what type of memories Kate wants to make with her children: “Someone did ask me the other day, what would you want your children to remember about their childhood? And I thought that was a really good question because actually if you really think about that, is it that I’m sitting down trying to do their maths and spelling homework over the weekend?

“Or is it the fact that we’ve gone out and lit a bonfire and sat around trying to cook sausages that hasn’t worked because it’s too wet? That’s what I would want them to remember, those moments with me as a mother, but also the family going to the beach, getting soaking wet, filling our boots full of water, those are what I would want them to remember,” she said on the podcast, Happy Mum, Happy Baby.

“Not a stressful household where you’re trying to do everything and not really succeeding at one thing.”

6. On the power of affection: “Hugs are very important. That’s what I tell my children.”

7. On how Kate likes to calm her children down when they’re distressed: “When my son has a temper-tantrum, I try to put into words how I think he might be feeling in a slow and calm and gentle way.”