Kate Middleton Opens Up About The ‘Hard’ Parts Of Motherhood: ‘Everybody Experiences The Same Struggle’

Being a member of the royal family does not necessarily mean you have it easy when it comes to parenting. Speaking at the launch of a new U.K. helpline for parents and caregivers, Kate Middleton opened up about the “hard” parts of motherhood, saying that being royal does not make you exempt from the struggles of raising children.

On Tuesday, the Duchess of Cambridge paid a visit to the Family Action charity in Lewisham, South London, to lend her support in the launch of a new volunteer helpline for parents and caregivers, as the Inquisitr previously reported.

The service, which is run by trained volunteers, aims to provide help to mothers, fathers, and caregivers who struggle with any aspect of family life, including parenting and mental health.

While talking to the volunteers, the royal mother of three spoke candidly about the challenges of raising children, saying that motherhood is “hard” no matter who you are, E! News is reporting.

Although Kate Middleton and Prince William do rely on their trusted nanny Maria Turrion Borallo to help keep a watchful eye over 5-year-old Prince George, 3-year-old Princess Charlotte, and 9-month-old Prince Louis, as People magazine points out, Duchess Kate made it clear that raising kids still requires a lot of work and effort no matter the circumstances.

Middleton addressed the realities of being a parent and the pressures that come with the territory, whether you are royal or not.

“Everybody experiences the same struggle,” Duchess Kate confessed to the staff and parents gathered at the launch of the FamilyLine service.

When talking about the challenges that moms face and how difficult it can be to find support in raising a family, Middleton didn’t shy away from revealing that help can dwindle after you have a child.

“It’s so hard,” said the 37-year-old royal mother of three.

“You get a lot of support with the baby years… particularly in the early days up to the age of about one, but after that there isn’t a huge amount — lots of books to read.”

Her words rang true to the parents present at the FamilyLine launch, who were impressed by Middleton’s openness and honesty. According to 46-year-old Dawn Daley from Islington, North London, Duchess Kate was “very compassionate” and made everyone feel at ease.

The Duchess listened to an expert coaching session for the new FamilyLine, which was focused on perinatal mental health and asked @family_action volunteers about their training. pic.twitter.com/skQ3YIj2Jf

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) January 22, 2019

“She was really nice, she was easy to talk to and interacted with us all. And she listened,” said Daley, who turned to Family Action for help with raising her niece Deirdre’s two children, both of whom are suffering from a genetic disorder called neurofibromatosis.

“When she came in it felt like just another friend.”

Though it is true that Middleton’s social standing does give her different advantages, as one volunteer acknowledged, the Duchess of Cambridge still puts in a lot of work every day in raising the royal babies, notes Cosmopolitan.

“Why she’s a great supporter of our service is that she does recognize that families have the same pressures and struggles and she’s no exception,” said the FamilyLine volunteer.

“She may have slightly different circumstances to the rest of us but, you know, being a parent is being a parent.”