The Duchess of Cambridge may seem like the world's happiest and most put-together pregnant woman, but she's well aware it's not all roses and teddy bears for every expectant mother and may have just revealed she has faced her own emotional struggles during her pregnancies.
Kate, whose third child with Prince William is due in April, was unusually candid on a visit earlier this week to King's College London's Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, where she opened up about the mental health issues women face during and after pregnancy. She made her remarks during a tour of the mother and baby unit at Bethlem Royal Hospital, which treats mothers who have suffered severe mental illness in late pregnancy and early motherhood and allows patients to stay with their babies during treatment.
The 36-year-old duchess told the patients and officials during her appearance, "There's an expectation you're going to be super happy all the time, and one in four of us aren't."
In the past, Kate has said while she finds motherhood "rewarding," it is also a "great challenge."
She did not give any indication as to whether or not she was speaking from experience, but according to a report in The Daily Mail, Kate said spending time with babies had made her feel "very broody," and she told patients she was "so glad" they are getting the help they need.
Kate has suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum, an extreme form of morning sickness, that kept her bedridden during the early stages of each of her pregnancies. Last year she was forced to miss Prince George's first day of school because she was too ill to accompany her son to Thomas's Battersea in London. Instead, Prince William was on daddy duty for the big day and helped the somewhat shy toddler meet his teacher and greet the press on the steps of Kensington Palace. Since recovering from the worst of it, the duchess has thrown herself into full schedule of royal engagements largely devoted to issues relating to children and mental health.
For her visit to the hospital, her choice of wardrobe set off speculation that her baby blue coat by Séraphine, one of her favorite maternity labels, was a clue to the sex of her unborn child. It was the second day in a row she's worn the same color. Last week, she wore a bright pink coat which had royal watchers claiming it was a signal the Cambridge's next child would be a girl. Insiders have insisted that Kate and William have chosen not to find out the sex of child preferring to be surprised as they did at the time of George and Charlotte's birth.
Aside from being one of the most stylish pregnant women in the world who, after giving birth to her youngest child, appeared on the steps of the hospital in heels with freshly blown-out hair, Kate has increasingly embraced her royal role focusing on promoting the de-stigmatization of mental health. Together with William and Prince Harry, she started Heads Together, a country-wide initiative to encourage Brits to talk about mental health issues. And for more royals coverage, read up on the 10 Ways Kate and Meghan Are Nothing Alike.
Diane Clehane is a New York-based journalist and author of Imagining Diana A Novel and Diana: The Secrets of Her Style.
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