William and Kate are opening up about their home lives in a way they never have before. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge appeared on BBC Breakfast on Friday via video call for a rare interview. The couple discussed the importance of staying connected during this time.
Aside from outlining the potential mental health effects of staying home, William and Kate also discussed their family. They explained what it's been like to homeschool 6-year-old Prince George and 4-year-old Princess Charlotte. Kate even admitted that she continued to homeschool through the Easter holiday, though she does feel a bit guilty about it. They also discussed the differences in explaining what's going on to their older two and to Prince Louis, who turns 2 next week.
Like so many parents, William and Kate often marvel at the amount of energy their young children have. It keeps their days at Anmer Hall packed. Certainly, any parent with three kids under the age of 7 understands where they're coming from.
Prince William and Kate Middleton continue to be at the forefront of the royal family's response to current world events. The couple appeared on BBC Breakfast on Friday for a rare interview. In it, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge praised the frontline workers for their tireless dedication.
The couple also discussed the mental health implications of everything that's going on, in connection with their Every Mind Matters initiative.
"We felt very strongly that now more than ever this was a vital tool and a vital service that people could easily access at home to guide them and give them just some very basic tips to mind their mental health, to mind their mental well-being through this process," William said.
"I think again, staying connected, staying positive and being able to talk to friends and family is so crucial, and having just some tips and some ideas as to how to tackle some of these strange feelings and difficult circumstances we’re finding ourselves in is really important, just to nudge us through these next few weeks."
"Frontline workers are used to dealing, sadly, with very sad situations, death and things like that, but I think the scale and the speed of what’s going on in hospitals, bearing in mind also the isolation, a lot of these patients are dying with no family members around them," William continued.
"I think for the NHS frontline workers that is very difficult, because they are there right next to the bedsides, looking after and caring for each and every patient in a critical condition, and I think they take away that pain and that sometimes that fear and loneliness that these patients have to go through," he noted.
"They’re the ones who absorb that and take it home to their families and I think again, I’ve spoken about the attrition and the daily attrition rate of that happening to somebody is not normal and we’re not superhuman any of us, so to be able to manage those emotions and that feeling is going to take some time after all this is over as well."
Kate believes this will make us a more appreciative society. "I think what we’re saying now is the NHS and the frontline workers are doing the most extraordinary job, and that’s really come to the forefront in the last few weeks," she noted.
"I think it’s going to dramatically change how we all value and see our frontline workers, and I think that is one of the main positives that you can take from this. They do an extraordinary job, and now I think all of us as a nation can really see how hard they work and how vital their work is."
William also opened up about concerns he's had about his father and grandparents as everyone self-isolates in different places. He admitted he was nervous about Prince Charles' diagnosis.
"I have to admit, at first I was quite concerned," he said. "He fits the profile of someone at the age he's at, which is fairly risky. So I was a little bit worried, but my father has had many chest infections, colds, things like that over the years."
"So I thought to myself, if anybody is going to beat this, it's going to be him. And, actually, he was very lucky. He had mild symptoms."
William also has his grandparents on his mind. "Obviously I think very carefully about my grandparents, who are at the age they're at," William noted.
"And we're doing everything we can to make sure that they're isolated away and protected from this. But it does worry me, what's going to happen to a lot of the vulnerable and high-risk people who are going to potentially have to isolate for quite some time. And the impact that's going to have on them and families up and down the country having to deal with that."
Some of the most interesting insight William and Kate provided was into their own stay-at-home experience with Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
"It’s been ups and downs, like a lot of families self-isolating. George is much older than Louis is and things, but they are aware, I’m always surprised," Kate noted.
"And although you don’t want to scare them and make it too overwhelming, I think it is appropriate to acknowledge it in the simple ways and age-appropriate ways."
As for homeschooling, William laughed and said it's been "fun." Kate also admitted feeling a tiny bit guilty for keeping the homeschool routine going over Easter break.
"Don’t tell the children, we’ve actually kept it going through the holidays. I feel very mean!" she joked.
"The children have got such stamina, I don’t know how," she continued.
"Honestly, you get to the end of the day and you write down the list of all the things that you’ve done in that day. So, you pitch a tent, take the tent down again, cook, bake. You get to the end of the day — they have had a lovely time — but it is amazing how much you can cram into one day, that’s for sure."
William and Kate also said how they've leaned on video calls to keep themselves and the kids connected with the rest of the family. "We’ve been talking to all the family online. And it’s been a really good way of keeping in touch and seeing each other," William noted.
"As you can imagine, the younger generation are a little bit more tech-savvy, but only just, I think we’re getting there now," William said of the calls. It's in line with reports that the Queen has been taught how to use Skype and FaceTime as she navigates working from home.
"The family are getting a little bit more used to be able to contact each other and pressing the right buttons and not dropping the computer halfway through."
"It’s so true," Kate chimed in. "And I think your father and my parents and our families … have really loved keeping in touch with the children because it’s really hard. It gets a bit hectic, I am not going to lie, with a 2-year-old."
Royal fans are hoping that's a hint about who they're keeping in touch with. Certainly, the mention of both sets of parents isn't surprising. The mention of the rest of the family keeps royal family fans hopeful that they're keeping in touch with all siblings.
Kate's sister, Pippa, has a son who is 6 months younger than Prince Louis. Her brother, James, was due to get married this summer but has postponed the event.
Of course, the real hope lies in the couple speaking to Harry and Meghan. Archie's first birthday is less than a month away, so it would be wonderful if the brothers, and in turn the cousins, were keeping in touch.
Hopefully, Louis gets the hang of not hanging up on his family members. It's a work in progress, William revealed.
"For some reason, he sees the red button and he always wants to press the red button," William laughed.
