Princess Catherine may have been the newcomer to the royal family in the early 2010s, but she was not afraid to stand up for herself — and demand what she wanted to make this new lifestyle work.
In his new book, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, Robert Jobson explained how Kate Middleton has put herself and her family first when adjusting to life as a royal. Having been raised in a tight-knit family, the author said the 42-year-old “knows her own mind and even established some fundamental life rules that she would stick to when she joined ‘The Firm.'”
But really, it wasn’t until the anticipation of her second child, Princess Charlotte, that she decided to implement some of these “rules” into her new life — and she did just that by having her terms presented to Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III in early 2015 when she was pregnant with her daughter. OMG! That must’ve been intense!
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It helps, though, that her husband Prince William was very supportive — and even delivered the news himself. The writer noted that the requests were “not [delivered] in some formal document, but by Prince William.” Whoa!
So what was she so determined to change?? Mostly, Kate was worried about her family life and wanted to make sure she could prioritize it — while slowly building up her career in the spotlight. William told his grandmother and father that his wife “wanted space to grow into her role and said she needed more time to adapt to the peculiarities of royal life,” the book elaborated:
“She was clear from the outset that she would not be pigeonholed into carrying out particular duties and insisted on having her full quota of maternity leave, away from the glare of the media and the public.”
All very reasonable! And yet she had BALLS for making demands to the top royals! It helps that she’d already tied the knot, of course! What were they gonna do? Force her to get a divorce and cause way more scandal for the family than they would ever want? Hell no! They obviously agreed! (That said, it’s unclear if they had any resistance to her requests.)
As for Kate, “Her priority, she emphasized, would always be her family.” To this day as she faces a cancer diagnosis, she has remained focused on her children, Charlotte, Prince George, and Prince Louis, while also finding time to balance her personal life with royal work. Robert told People on Wednesday:
“She is doing things slowly and when she is ready. She isn’t being governed by it being a good picture opportunity. They aren’t worried about visibility — they are just going to do it, and that will be visible rather than the other way around. The health and the proper recovery is what is important.”
The family will head to their country home, Anmer Hall, where they can “escape” the spotlight over the summer, he continued:
“They escape there, and it is very much a private place. They can go out and ride their bikes with the children and not have anybody bothering them. That will be the priority. […] They can go out and enjoy the space and can breathe out.”
They’re also expected to travel to Balmoral Castle in Scotland which is the royal family’s traditional August getaway, “but not for very long,” the insider dished:
“Those traditions may fade— that’s where you may find that it is more for the King [Charles] and the Queen [Camilla] and the other members of the royal family. William has more of a free rein. They will go there, but it won’t necessarily be for a long period like it used to be with the late Queen [Elizabeth].”
Once again, they’re carving their own path and doing what’s best for them! This is likely more important now that Kate faces her health crisis. Robert added that she and her hubby “are living in a day-to-day basis, because no one really knows what’s around the corner” and that her diagnosis “shows that you can’t take anything for granted.” He mused:
“Both the Prince and Princess of Wales are acutely aware of that, and that’s why they are spending as much time as [they] can with their children, whilst they can. One day, they may not be able to do so—certainly William. Both are acutely aware of that.”
Right now, the parents’ biggest challenge “is to keep family life going while preparing George for his role without freaking out neither him nor Charlotte as to what that role is. It is quite a delicate balance. It’s a hard job to do that.”
But thanks to Kate’s upbringing, the kids are doing well, a source close the the royal household dished last month:
“Coming from a different background, she appreciates the importance of having family time. She wasn’t brought up in that aristocratic setting where you see the children for a short time each day.”
The confidant continued:
“Those children look pretty happy with life. A lot of it is the stabilizing normality Kate brings — and that’s how she grew up. William absolutely loves it.”
A source reiterated that the couple “consciously set out to achieve a sense of normality,” while a friend added:
“Royal families over the generations haven’t had the chance to get those foundations right, but they have.”
Royal life is not an easy thing to juggle! And yet, despite all she’s been through, Kate seems to manage it well. Love to know she has the courage to stand up for herself — and, more importantly, that the royal family actually listens to what she needs to succeed. If only Meghan Markle had received that same treatment…
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