Duchess Kate did a podcast, part 2: ‘I actually really quite liked labor!’

Prince William and Kate Middleton with baby

Here is Part 2 of our Kate Did A Podcast series. To recap, the Duchess of Cambridge gave an interview to Giovanna Fletcher on the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast. This interview was conducted during Kate’s whirlwind two-day launch of her Five Big Questions struggle-survey, so it was a few weeks ago. As we already heard, Kate talked about her grandmother, she talked about how it’s so important to her to spend time outdoors with her kids, and how she and every other mother experiences mom-guilt. Kate also spoke at length about childbirth, morning sickness, hypnobirthing (basically deep breathing, meditation, visualization and self-hypnosis) and how she was expected to do the baby-reveal photo-op three times. Some additional quotes:

She used “hypnobirthing” for all three of her deliveries. “I got very bad morning sickness, so I’m not the happiest of pregnant people. [It was] utterly rotten! I was really sick – I wasn’t eating the things I should be eating – but yet, the body was still able to take all the goodness from my body and to grow new life, which I think is fascinating. It was through hyperemesis that I really realized the power of the mind over the body because I really had to try everything and everything to try and help me through it.”

William didn’t help with the hypnobirthing: “There’s levels of it. I’m not going to say that William was standing there sort of, chanting sweet nothings at me. He definitely wasn’t! I didn’t even ask him about it, but it was just something I wanted to do for myself. I saw the power of it really, the meditation and the deep breathing and things like that – that they teach you in hypnobirthing – when I was really sick and actually I realized that this was something I could take control of, I suppose, during labor.”

She liked labor: “It was hugely powerful and because it had been so bad during pregnancy, I actually really quite liked labor! Because actually it was an event that I knew there was going to be an ending to! But I know some people do have really, really difficult times, and it’s not for everybody.”

She would have done things differently during her first pregnancy: “I feel huge responsibility because what I’ve learned over the last few years is so fascinating and I definitely would have done things differently, even during my pregnancy, than I would have done now. I found it fascinating to see the wellbeing of the mother – not just physically, you know there’s so much information about making sure you exercise and making sure you have a healthy diet and things like that, which, yes, is definitely important — but the emotional wellbeing of the mother directly impacts the baby that you’re growing. It’s difficult, and also with life’s challenges and everything like that, it really is hard but actually just being aware of it. I was a lot more aware of it third time around than I was the first time around.”

The first baby-reveal photo-op: “Yeah, slightly terrifying, slightly terrifying, I’m not going to lie. Everyone had been so supportive and both William and I were really conscious that this was something that everyone was excited about and, you know, we’re hugely grateful for the support that the public had shown us, and actually for us to be able to share that joy and appreciation with the public, I felt was really important. But equally it was coupled with a newborn baby, and inexperienced parents, and the uncertainty of what that held, so there were all sorts of mixed emotions.”

Her first childbirth: “Amazing, amazing. It is extraordinary as I’ve said. How can the human body do that? It is utterly extraordinary actually. And he was very sweet. And I was also sort of relieved that he was a happy, healthy boy.”

They didn’t find out the sex of their first: “I didn’t know, no it was a surprise. But also seeing… you know your husband, William, and things like that. Seeing the pure joy of his face, it was really special.”

She didn’t know how much a baby would change her life: “Particularly with your first-born baby, you think everything is going to go back to how it was. I totally underestimated the impact and the change it had on our lives from that moment really and I think, unless you’ve got children, you don’t realize. No amount of planning and preparation can get you ready for that moment….It took us a bit of time to get ourselves settled and going again but that’s the beauty, I suppose, of having a newborn baby. You are pulled to your toughest and most unknown places that you hadn’t necessarily even thought about before.”

[From People Magazine]

The part about her uncertainty and mixed emotions about the baby-reveal of Prince George, that’s very interesting. I remember it took so long for them to come out with the baby and then when they did come out, Kate seemed so vulnerable, on display and trying to figure out how to pose with this new little person. That completely shifted by Charlotte and Louis – she knew what to expect, and she knew what the expectations were. I always thought that with the baby-reveals of Charlotte and Louis, she seemed so happy, confident and even radiant.

It’s not really news that Kate did hypnobirthing, it’s been widely rumored (and widely reported) that she did all-natural birthing techniques with all three babies, just as it was widely reported that with Charlotte and Louis, the deliveries were especially fast and easy. Kate honestly looked like she was ready to run a marathon after Charlotte. And how did I know that William wasn’t any f–king help to his wife during the deliveries?

Prince William and Kate Middleton with baby

Prince William and Kate Middleton

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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187 Responses to “Duchess Kate did a podcast, part 2: ‘I actually really quite liked labor!’”

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  1. grumpyterrier says:

    This is so interesting (and relatable, except for loving labor)!! You do feel so vulnerable afterwards, there are so many things which you don’t know how to plan for. Plus you are leaking at both ends, and she’s there in this flimsy short blue dress that I absolutely would be terrified to wear in front of global media.

    • AnnaKist says:

      She was probably wearing a massive pad and four pairs of undies!

      • Jumpingthesnark says:

        I remember these disposable granny panties they gave me in the hospital that could fit a bag of ice in them. I was so damn grateful for those granny panties!

      • grumpyterrier says:

        Yeah she probably had on the granny panties like @jumping said. They had these massive diaper like pads built in that you had to wear for 3 or 4 days. They were so great- I smuggled out as many pairs as I could when I left the hospital

    • minx says:

      I wouldn’t say I loved labor at all, but my pregnancies were so miserable (HG) that I was happy to get that baby out, and feel normal again. So I can relate to that.

      • Mira says:

        I totally, absolutely know what you mean about HG. My first and only pregnancy was a miserable experience due to HG. I couldn’t keep anything down, not even water or any other liquid. I spent a lot of time in hospital with my best friend, the IV drip.

        In my country, they absolutely and totally refuse to prescribe pregnant women any anti-nausea medication, which of course is fair enough since it’s not safe, but that meant the only thing they could do was to re-admit me over and over again after a few days at home because I got very dehydrated again very fast. I started feeling better around halfway through the pregnancy so at least I didn’t have to puke my guts out 24/7 the entire time. But when I got my baby out, I knew I wouldn’t be able to go through it again. I didn’t mind labour, even though it most certainly wasn’t a walk in the park. I just knew I wouldn’t be able to handle HG again, it was simply that traumatic.

      • Amy Too says:

        Right after the baby was out, I felt like I had just done a really horrible and scary thing that ended with an amazing high/payoff. Like I had just survived the most extreme and dangerous rollercoaster or something like that. It was absolutely awful while I was going through it, but something about the physical relief of getting that baby out, combined with the rush of endorphins and other hormones that are meant to make you forget/find the experience worthwhile/flood you with love and a sense of accomplishment really worked on me and I literally said “I’d like to do that again!” Which is so cringe and embarrassing. I’ve actually never done it again though because looking back on the experience, I began to remember how hugely painful it was. I’d love to have more children (my Dream was to have like six kids—ha!) but never want to be pregnant or go through labor ever again.

      • Jennifer says:

        Same! Labor (even unmedicated) was far, far easier than months of HG.

  2. GuestOne says:

    She looked SO gorgeous when she came out with George.

    This quote is so illuminating “ the emotional wellbeing of the mother directly impacts the baby that you’re growing”. Interesting that she said she was more aware of it with her 3rd pregnancy- what was going on then 🤔. But also knowing this-unforgivable that the royal family didn’t signal any support to Meghan as the worst press smears kicked off during her pregnancy.

    • Toot says:

      Exactly.

      Meghan got really raked over the coals during her pregnancy, but not a peep of support from Kate, since she claims it’s so important that when pregnant and after a mother needs it.

    • Digital Unicorn says:

      Kate looks great with a bit of weight on her esp on her face.

      And yeah Kate was no innocent bystander in the attacks on Meghan during her pregnancy.

      • Escondista says:

        She does but I totally had a rounder, youthful face both when i was younger and prior to having my kids.

    • Carrie says:

      How could she therefore be so complicit in the onslaught of bullying Meghan faced. How dare she have the gall to come out with a statement like this in the face of her silence.

      • Amy Too says:

        It almost sounds like she’s saying it’s on the mother to keep herself emotionally and mentally healthy during pregnancy. Like the mother needs to do things to deal with stress or avoid stress. Telling us all to “just be aware of that” when pregnant, rather than talking about how other people/society need to try to minimize stress for mothers, she’s telling mothers to just deal with stress better. So I have a feeling that she doesn’t have any guilt about Meghan and feels like Meghan should’ve just dealt with the stress better, or ignored it, or something. Most of what she’s saying seems to be placing all of the burden on the mother to just Do Better.

        Hardly any mention of fathers. She didn’t even tell William she was doing hypno-birthing or ask for or expect any kind of support from him? Hardly any mention of what society or government can do. How women need extra support from friends and family and caregivers? It all sounds very “pull yourself up by your bootstraps.”

    • kerwood says:

      She exposes the type of person she REALLY is here. The ‘English Rose’ doesn’t smell that sweet.

    • BWayney says:

      What support? She is not allowed to publicly tell the media to piss off.

      Stop blaming Kate for “failing” to do anything. You have no idea what she did or didn’t do.

      And don’t forget that before Meghan the media, including this site, spent 10+ years calling her “Waity Katie” for daring to continue to date her college sweetheart. Don’t forget that this site, and all of you, still insist that she’s “never worked,” when several former employers have said of course she worked, and that she was a lovely employee.

      STOP BEING SEXIST and claiming you’re defending Meghan.

      • notasugarhere says:

        She only has one ‘real’ former employer. The 2-3 day a week, nine month gig her mummy got her after the Queen called her out for her laziness. That employer mocked her because she wasn’t exactly committed to the job.

        She is mocked because she’s lazy, which is why she’s been mocked on here for a decade. Dating her college sweetheart? The man she stalked and hunted from the time she was in her early teens. She chose to stand by while he cheated on her openly for years, as she chooses to stand by now. She chooses to participate in the anti-Meghan narratives for the past year, all of which embiggened Kate.

      • Nic919 says:

        Nice try troll. Kate released press releases about hair extensions and botox so she sure could have shut down the making her cry story. She did not. Kate is not a helpless victim here but it’s an easy excuse to use.

        And saying Kate is lazy is not sexist because it’s true. She’s barely worked a few months at Jigsaw for her entire adult life and since marriage remains one of the ones with the lowest engagement totals for years on end.

        And considering that William sent a human rights letter that silenced the UK media about the Rose story, we know they can speak up when they want to. They chose to remain silent on the attacks against Meghan and for Kate to go on about the mental health of a mother while she did nothing to help her own sister in law is hypocritical to the extreme and everyone is calling her out on it. Stans can pretend Kate is a victim all they want, but it’s obvious she can take action when she feels like it.

      • Curious2 says:

        So much this!

      • Jaded says:

        Calling her “Waity Katie” is not nearly as bad as being referred to as “Straight outta Compton” and other filthy racist slurs. She got death threats for god’s sake. The media was racist, misogynistic, paternalistic and every other vile descriptive. Not ONE member of the BRF came out in Meghan’s defense, Not one. In fact Wm and his palace fart-catchers leaked a ton of malignant and false information to the press in order to throw Harry under the bus. All because Wm is a petty, petulant man-child with a jealous streak a mile wide and couldn’t stand that Meghan and Harry were showing him and Kate up with all their successes.

    • yinyang says:

      And why is she bringing this all up now, reminising about Kate’s life is this necessary?? She loves to celebrate herself. she goes between pushing “perfect Kate” to “normal Kate with regular mommy problems” it’s tired.

    • Beanie says:

      >>the emotional wellbeing of the mother directly impacts the baby that you’re growing”. Interesting that she said she was more aware of it with her 3rd pregnancy- what was going on then 🤔. But also knowing this-unforgivable that the royal family didn’t signal any support to Meghan as the worst press smears kicked off during her pregnancy.<<

      Especially Kate.

  3. Aurora says:

    All I caught was her throwing Meghan under bus by claiming she did the Lindo Wing photo op to show how grateful she is for the public which implies Meghan was not grateful.

    Kate is not an innocent bystander in the Meghan smear campaign.

    • Becks1 says:

      That was the big takeaway I had from it too. To me some of these comments just seal Kate’s role in the Great Smear Campaign.

    • Belli says:

      Yep. She and William never even considered not doing the Lindo appearance (Diana did it), but now it’s being framed as them doing it to honour the public.

      • Ali says:

        Honouring the public by standing in an alley while thousands of photographers take your picture?

        Nope that is not normal.

      • (TheOG)jan90067 says:

        Quite a bit different though: Kate was given birth the the “heir and the spare(s)”. Meghan was not. She was entitled to present her child when/where she wanted to.

        Thing is, Diana started this, didn’t she? TQ gave birth privately, at home. And if I recall correctly, wasn’t a pic not even given out of Charles until he was about a month old? So this, “Lion King” presenting the heir to the world immediately after birth is new. And not some centuries old tradition.

      • Nic919 says:

        Considering the Queen never presented her heir in this fashion, it was simply something that Diana was coerced in doing and then people pretended it was a tradition. To slam Meghan for not doing it was just one of the many unfair things the media did.

      • yinyang says:

        You said it Belli, Kate would never give up a golden opportunity to copycat Diana. I think she thought over that moment more than she did George.

      • songbirds_thrive says:

        Yes, and I think the way M&H ended up handling the announcement via Harry’s impromptu statement with joy written all over his face, standing outside the Windsor stables with the two black horses nodding in the background; and two days later the photo-op inside Windsor Castle’s grand St. George’s Hall, should become the model and the real royal tradition for new baby photo-ops! Harry’s Windsor stables announcement was last minute and is now iconic. The Sussexes also chose a small, diverse press crew consisting of one cameraman, one print and one broadcast reporter, instead of the public camping out on the street for days, along with hoards of RRs and paps crowded on bleachers outside the hospital like a circus freak show! All of that melee necessitates untold security costs, and inconvenience for hospital staff and other patients.

      • Babz says:

        I am going to use the tired phrase “everyone knows” because it applies here. Everyone knows, even if they won’t admit it, that the only reason the media pitched such a damn fit about Meghan and Harry not doing the Lindo Wing, is because they wanted to see how dark Archie might be. They didn’t give a blessed damn about protocol, or about getting a picture of the new family. They wanted to see his color. I am pretty sure that, as terrifying as it might have been for Kate Cambridge, no one was jostling for room to get that first photo of a baby who was not anything but completely white. In her case, it was a fight for the money shot of the future future future King, which was much more benevolent than the reason the paps had for wanting a picture of Archie. There will never be any comparison between the two situations.

      • Courtney B says:

        Princess Anne was the first photographed with a newborn coming out of the hospital. She didn’t pose but the hospital (St Mary’s) staff held the baby on the steps and she actually went around and thanked people before getting into the car. And looked super energetic. Lol Same with her and Zara Zara, though I think she held Zara. But plenty of time for photos. Then Diana, then fergie, then Sophie even after Louise’s traumatic birth, then Kate. So it was tradition as far as modern births. But traditions change. The very fact Anne gave birth at the hospital and not at the palace (because she totally could’ve if she wanted) showed that. And the Diana following with the future monarch. And I personally loved the Sussex way of doing it much more. Simple and so much less stress for the parents, especially the mom. And the public still got photos. And, as was said, it was compounded by how joyous Harry looked when giving the statement.

    • Ainsley7 says:

      She was asked about it. What exactly could she have said about that that couldn’t have been twisted into a dig at Meghan. Meghan chose to go against a tradition that started with Princess Anne. It was her choice to make and made sense given how the press treated her. It doesn’t change the fact that people were upset about her not following that tradition. What Kate said isn’t new. It was said at the time that was why they did it. It’s not like she’s suddenly changing her story.

      • Nic919 says:

        She could have said “I can understand why not everyone would want to do this because I was nervous about it”. It’s not hard for her to acknowledge that. Even Diana hated doing it.

      • Mtec says:

        @Ainsley7
        Just because some women in a family choose to do something doesn’t make it a tradition. Sussexes critics LOVE to say Meghan (cause only she alone is ever at fault) decided to break tradition in the public display of their newborn. There was no tradition to “go against” cause there was never an official tradition about it.

      • Ainsley7 says:

        @Nic919 She did state that it was terrifying, but she could have been more specific

        @Mtec Traditions are formed through repetition. They don’t have to formally announce a tradition for it to become a tradition. The only time it wasn’t done, before Archie, was with Louise because she had to stay in the hospital for awhile after and Sophie nearly died. That’s 10/11 kids. Enough to expect that the 12th would follow the same tradition unless there were complications. Harry and Meghan had the right to make the decision, but people also had a right to be disappointed. However, I agree that how some chose to express it was entirely unacceptable.

      • Shirleygailgal says:

        And….the whole reason the Cartel wanted to see Archie was to discover how black he was, remember? They even said so (maybe not quite in those words) but the chimp pic was meant to goad them into giving out a pic so as to say see…he’s not that black when we all know black is black. So, no, Miss Katie Keen, throwing shade at your sis-in-law by saying it’s something you give back to the public after all the harassment DoS experienced just goes to show you WERE/ARE playing the Royal Rota game, nothing more.

      • Nic919 says:

        If the Queen herself never did it the generation before, it’s not a long standing tradition. The expectations it places on a woman immediately after giving birth and unrealistic and Diana herself confirmed that she hated it. Kate chose to do it, who knows why, but when her sister in law was attacked for not wanting to do it, it would have been nice of her to say something. Kate has a hard time displaying empathy and her interview here does not help the situation. At best Kate is so self absorbed she didn’t think to say anything to support her sister in law’s decision. That’s the nicest spin one can put on this.

      • notasugarhere says:

        Anne rushed out of the hospital no posing, few photographers. Edward picked Sophie up from the hospital, took her home, pics taken outside the hospital in Windsor. A few weeks later they picked up Louise, thanked the staff, had pics taken (they brought a press photographer in with them), and went home. Autumn/Peter, Zara/Mike all avoided it and their kids are in line to the throne. There is no one way to do this, no tradition that it has to be done.

      • windyriver says:

        Well, if the tradition is to formally present the new baby to the public (and release pictures), they did that. They just didn’t do it on the steps leaving the hospital in front of multiple media reps and whatever public were there.

        Not hard to understand why new and vulnerable mother Meghan wouldn’t want to appear in front of people who’d been savaging her the entire pregnancy, especially since there were “reasons” why many of them wanted a look at the baby. But also, remember, they were secretive all along about the hospital/staff involved in the birth, likely in part for the staff’s protection. Doing a photo op leaving the hospital would almost certainly have resulted in media descending on the hospital like vultures to get more information. IIRC, it was at least a week before the birth hospital was confirmed, when the birth certificate was released?

        Instead of the immediate photo op on the steps, the public got a bonus with the unexpected and charming interview Harry gave right after the birth, in front of the stables. The media couldn’t make money off that though, as most of them weren’t invited. Too bad.

      • songbirds_thrive says:

        Nope @Ainsley, there was no real required ‘tradition’ involved regarding pap-ing newborn royal babies outside hospitals. This bogus, so-called ‘tradition’ is just about satisfying the press hoards. The actual tradition had been for royal ladies to give birth at home in the palaces (and for the female monarch, there used to be the ancient tradition of having to allow a member of the British government to witness and verify the birth of heirs… Yuk! — explained in this video: https://youtu.be/Gj7_RWHzAdM). The first modern royal ladies to give birth at hospitals were Princess Anne and the current Duchess of Gloucester, in the 1970s. A few enterprising press and photogs informally showed up outside the hospitals where these ladies gave birth. There was never anything formal or official about the press showing up, as other posters have already pointed out. When Diana PoW gave birth at a hospital to the first direct line heir to the British throne in over 30 years, of course, many more press worldwide showed up, and the royals didn’t think twice about controlling or organizing the melee, so it continued. It’s far from being a formal tradition. It’s just a haphazard habit to appease the press and the public who became accustomed to it. Diana hated it! She later spoke about breaking down in tears after baby William’s hospital steps reveal, as soon as the car pulled away and she couldn’t be seen by media paps. Check out this alarming view of the huge worldwide press on bleachers outside the Lindo Wing after Prince George’s birth, Whoa! No thanks! https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D55PwDaWkAI6ef3?format=jpg&name=medium — I hadn’t seen it before from this angle, and thus I didn’t realize just how crazy this practice is! Bless Meghan and Harry for saying, H*ll No!

      • songbirds_thrive says:

        Ainsley7 said: “It doesn’t change the fact that people were upset about her not following that tradition.”
        My word, Ainsley, It seems as if you are drinking the kool-aid. Upset! Nope, the royal reporters and terrible tabloids were livid about not being able to make loads of money off first Sussex baby pics. This after they didn’t care whether Meghan miscarried or not out of stress from all the nasty, scorched-earth dragging and smearing they did against her while she was carrying her first child at the age of 37. What the press hoards, the trolls, the racists, the worst royal courtiers and even some of the British royals didn’t bank on was how strong, secure, grounded, steadfast and unbreakable Meghan actually is. They also didn’t take into account the solid support and love Meghan has from her husband, her mother, her dearest friends, and her many admirers around the world. The British press deserve nothing from Meghan and Harry, especially they did NOT and do NOT deserve seeing or expecting to see M&H kowtow to doing any hospital pap walk after the crap they’ve hurled and continuously hurl against the Sussexes.

      • songbirds_thrive says:

        @Babz, Yep, ITA and thanks for articulating!

        @Babz said: “I am going to use the tired phrase ‘everyone knows’ because it applies here. Everyone knows, even if they won’t admit it, that the only reason the media pitched such a damn fit about Meghan and Harry not doing the Lindo Wing, is because they wanted to see how dark Archie might be…”

        This is very true, and it underlies so much of the ‘outraged’ Sussex baby birth blather, along with the RRs needing their bread-n-butter income from royal photo-ops.

    • songbirds_thrive says:

      @Aurora, Exactly! ITA, and thank you!

      • songbirds_thrive says:

        Also thanks and ITA @Shirleygailgal, @notasugarhere, @Nic919, @windyriver, @Jaded, @Mtec, @Becks1, et al. I feel you…

  4. Becks1 says:

    I know some people like that – who really found labor and childbirth empowering and amazing and love/loved it. I was not one of them, lol, but everyone’s labor is so different. Actually Kate’s post-baby pics with George are some of my favorite of her – she looks nervous and vulnerable, yes, but she also looks really happy and William looked really happy and they seemed very…..normal, in a weird way. (weird bc its not normal to present your baby on the steps of the hospital like that, lol.) Like they seemed like excited but nervous first time parents, which they were.

    Now that said…..I did think the comments about the well-being of the mother were pretty telling, so you care about the well being of every other pregnant woman EXCEPT your sister in law?

    And I thought her remarks about the Lindo Wing and how “important” it was to do that – those seemed to be pretty passive aggressive digs at Meghan.

    • Tessa says:

      The photo of her with her children and Meghan and Archie was quite telling. She did not even pick up baby Archie or go over to see him. She could have helped out and supported Meghan. She just sat back and even let the gossip about Meghan go unanswered–she did not issue denials about the “crying” episode she supposedly had because of something Meghan allegedly did. I think she’s a cold woman. I see that she did not get universally praised in media comments sections.

      • sue denim says:

        cold tho or cowed? by her mother and her husband..? afraid to step into whatever of her own light she might have, so in thrall to the idea of her husband and the monarchy, that she’s never really had a chance to figure out who she is… but yes, certainly, if she had more backbone she could have offered support to her SIL, I just wonder if that would have put a target on her back too…?

      • Olenna says:

        I don’t know if she’s cold or just petty, but her inertia at the polo match still puzzles me. Baby Louis showed more interest in the DoS and Archie than she did.

      • kerwood says:

        @Tessa, I remember that event. She acted like she didn’t even know Meghan. And it was clear that Meghan was having some problems holding and carrying a VERY large baby. But Keen Katie didn’t go anywhere near her. It’s ironic that she avoided the Black child she was RELATED to and now no Black child is safe is Keen Katie is out and there are cameras around.

      • Bella DuPont says:

        Yes. Really cold and passive aggressive.

      • Lexa says:

        To be fair, it wasn’t like Meghan approached her at the Polo match either. They both seemed to be doing their best to ignore one another as much as possible. It could very well be that Meghan wanted to be left alone, but there were reports during Megxit that Harry and Will had a particularly bad fight right before this match which probably also explains the body language between the women.

      • yinyang says:

        @Tessa And don’t forget William and Kate’s first comments when asked about the birth of Archie, those comments still leave a bad taste in my mouth. Honestly those two are just nasty! After that, no amount “Kate is sad” “Kate is stressed” pictures dished out by the press can turn me.

      • Jaded says:

        @yinyang: Didn’t it take them a couple of weeks to get around to visiting the baby? Word on the street then was Wm and Harry had had quite a massive blow-up and were barely speaking. They could have said something like “We can’t wait to meet Archie, but Meghan and Harry need a few days to rest and settle in as new parents.” Horrible people…

      • yinyang says:

        @Jaded The silence was deafening, what they were really telling us was “pick a side” loud and clear. And note we never saw any of Kate’s gurning and guffawing when it came to her own SIL’s baby.

      • sue denim says:

        for yinyang — just curious, what were W&K’s comments after Archie’s birth? I don’t remember and can’t find it…

    • Nic919 says:

      Kate didn’t have very long labour which is why she liked it. Had she been there for 24 hours she wouldn’t have enjoyed it.

      In any case she clearly showed how passive aggressive she has been toward her sister in law. People need to stop saying she is an innocent victim controlled by William here.

    • Mtec says:

      @Ainsley7
      No people do not have a “right” to anything when it comes to someone else’s choices for their children, not even public figures (and specially not for a couple the people who got “disappointed”/angry about it LOVED to dismiss as “minor royals”). And again just because some women in that family chose to repeat displaying their children that way, still doesn’t make it a tradition, and no Archie (and Lousie?) weren’t the “only” ones not shown off that way, before Diana there were many royals born at home and not publicly displayed like that just after having been birthed.

      The narrative that this was a tradition and that Meghan broke it and that they have a “right” to see their baby whenever they deem it so was created by crazy/some racist royal stans who loved to hate on Meghan and criticize her for everything she does and doesn’t do. So that narrative needs to stop.

    • Justwastingtime says:

      Everyone’s experience is indeed different, with my first I was so ill that I was vomiting bile (sorry for TMI but a stomach bug brought on premature labor). For me as for most women, the outcome was a healthy baby, but most to that outcome was different.

  5. Bebe says:

    I actually loved labor too. Loathedddd pregnancy though. Most miserable period of my life. Agree with the above posters about not supporting Meghan though.

  6. VS says:

    I’ve never believed in karma but maybe Alicia Keys was right…….she did all of this and was basically ignored. Who was trending yesterday for something completely unrelated? Meghan!!! RIP to the woman who died, I didn’t know her but it seems that a lot of people see what is happening with Meghan and are not quiet anymore. What the RF should have done, was to ask the press to ignore H&M. They have turned Meghan into another Diana-like person with all the ilks that come with it! this time, they won’t WIN!!!!

    I do not believe Kate has anything interesting to say about anything and I am not going to listen to her podcast. I wish her good luck with whatever work she is doing but there is one thing that’s clear now, I don’t think this woman is ever going to have any meaningful impact on anything…….at least she is out now and she is talking!

    • Bohemian Angel says:

      VS… Sadly it took the death of Caroline Flack for people to start talking (at least on Twitter) about the toxic media here. Obviously the daily mail/the sun/and the express have been especially nasty but also tv outlets such as ITV, Channel 5 (Jeremy Vine in particular) and to a lesser extent BBC have all contributed to the Meghan hate and now today thankfully people are finally calling them out.
      Caroline had her problems but the scrutiny she was subjected to was horrible and as she stated in one of her last post “The scutiny was too much for one person to take” in another post “in a world where you can be anything… be kind” People are now calling for Caroline’s Law and I hope through her death the UK press is brought to heel.

      • Digital Unicorn says:

        ITA – I never really followed Caroline but even I could tell she was a troubled soul. The trolls on SM were also to blame as she got a lot of hate and death threats.

        Something needs to be done about the British tabloids – the Levenson Inquiry recommendations has failed IMO.

      • Bohemian Angel says:

        Digital Unicorn…. I totally agree that SM also played a big part but that’s a little harder to police than our press, which has been allowed to run free and wild and now is a powerful beast and I also think the Leveson inquiry failed massively.
        I didn’t really follow Caroline either but I really enjoyed watching her on Strictly, thought she was worthy of her win. Its all just very sad for her family and friends.

      • VS says:

        @DU ——- not just British tabloids but some British as well; those rags are businesses and one of their goals is to make money!!! They make money by responding to the demand of the British population; when I see some British online talking about Meghan and mental health, I want to laugh. Who buys and reads those rags? it is THEM! I am not British; unless someone is telling me those tabloids are given for free on the streets, that means someone has to take their money and voluntarily buy them.

        As far as I am concerned, Meghan is out of that shit hole; it is so rare to see a country where hard work is not appreciated; where celebrating your success is perceived as vulgar; where confidence is treated as arrogance; where being articulate means being a witch; where being strong means there must be something wrong with you!

        I love the United States of America, even though we have so many problems!!!!

      • Carrie says:

        Please, please sign the petition on change.org for an enquiry into media abuse. Thank you!

      • Betsy Hovey says:

        Carrie, I signed the petition. Thank you for the alert.

      • Bohemian Angel says:

        Carrie, just signed it and nice to see it’s nearing 200,000 and it’s not only for the abuse of Caroline but also Harry and Meghan amongst others.

      • Lady D says:

        Would a signature from another country count or would it skew results?

  7. Crowned Huntress says:

    If this was supposed to endear me to Kate it did the exact opposite. It’s like she isn’t aware of her privilege or doesn’t care. Thousands of working mothers would probably love to have a full staff on hand to allow them to spend more time with their children.

    Kate knew how important peace of mind is to a mother to be & growing baby and yet she stood by silently as Meghan was harassed & bullied publicly. She knew how difficult the transition is from pregnancy to birth to motherhood and didn’t give an ounce of support to Meghan during her most vulnerable time.

    And now she wants to flaunt the fact that she stood on the hospital steps despite her fright just to make it seem like it was rude for Meghan & Harry to choose not to.

    May what she put out into the world come back to her. You can’t tell me she wasn’t complicit in their bullying.

    • Tessa says:

      Diana never did this sort of self praise for standing on the Lindo steps. I think the tide is already turning I see more negatives about Kate on some comments section in the media.

      • Nic919 says:

        Diana actually admitted how much she hated being on display like that.
        Meanwhile Kate is perfectly ok towing the patriarchal party line, never questioning anything. I can see why conservative 1950s type like Kate because she’s the throwback they wish all women were. Everyone else needs to accept that Kate promotes a regressive standard for womanhood and does so by choice.

      • Lexa says:

        I didn’t interpret her comments about the Lindo Wing as self praise at all, so it’s interesting to me to hear that some people did. I actually thought her explanation about being nervous about the whole thing (including how the baby would react) and that they did it as a way to include the public in their excitement/thank them for their support was understandable (maybe because I remember how excited the atmosphere was at the time and I’m projecting?) and that she almost sounded a little sheepish about that side of it.

      • Tessa says:

        “Including the public” did sound like she was doing them a big favor IMO. I think it an unnecessary comment.

    • songbirds_thrive says:

      Exactly @Crowned Huntress! ITA with your comments. The whole thing is pretty sad, as well as revealing. The masks are off. The ‘princess fairytale’ ended with Diana. And now the RRs and the royal firm’s kool-aid can no longer be swallowed by thinking, caring human beings of goodwill. I gag on it. While I get that being a mother and marrying into the British royal family is hard, I think Kate walked into it with open eyes. She wants to be Queen and she waited on William and she cultivated him (with her mother’s help and advice) to get that prize. Kate accepts the downsides in exchange for all the perks (tiaras, luxurious lifestyle, royal babies, status, the hope of one day being crowned Queen). In Brian Hoey’s book, “Not in Front of the Corgis,” he famously quips: “The British royals do not skimp on what they eat, wear, ride and drive.” Not to mention never having to worry much financially. There’s a price to pay, of course. Nothing in life is exactly free for anyone. But let’s remember that this is what Kate wanted. Be careful what you wish for.
      It actually took Meghan falling in love with Harry and M&H being themselves and rocking it out in engaging and down-to-earth fashion on their tours and across Britain, for the rest of the royals to wake-up and get that there are fresh and genuine ways of presenting themselves to the public. And that there are worthy causes resonating with the public that the royal firm have been ignoring or are too out of touch with to have previously noticed. Sure, it’s fine and dandy that Kate and even Charles & Camilla are trying to wake up to women’s issues, and that W/K have discovered via M&H a better way of planning and prepping for tours, and highlighting community organizations, charitable projects, and small businesses across Great Britain. People magazine was even given the amazing tidbit not too long ago that Kate now writes her own speeches! Imagine that! The problem I see with this p.r. blitz and obvious piggybacking on M&H’s example is that M&H are not credited, valued nor supported by the very royal family members who are clearly inspired by M&H’s way of doing things. The modus operandi has mostly been to disdain and gaslight the Sussexes. Even when Harry was a bachelor, it has now become apparent that he was viewed in a marginally affectionate way as the wayward cut-up and spare who was there to serve as the buffer, helpmate and third wheel, and always to remain in the background doing things that made the rest of the royal family look good. Kate once gave Harry a gag Christmas gift: a Make Your Own Girlfriend Kit. Kate had also tried to encourage Chelsy to marry Harry because Chelsy was a known quantity for Kate. Luckily for Chelsy, she realized royal life was not what she wanted, despite her feelings for Harry. Of course, Kate’s gag gift to Harry was an affectionate joke. But ultimately, the joke flipped when Harry met Meghan, a strong, multi-ethnic, happy, grounded, gorgeous, smart, ambitious, together woman! Still, I was surprised when it became clear how much W/K and even Charles are feeling threatened and insecure about M&H’s widespread public appeal, especially after the popularity of M&H’s South Pacific tour. That’s when the palace leaks began in earnest…

  8. Bohemian Angel says:

    So Kate thinks the wellbeing of the mother whilst pregnant is important – well that obviously doesn’t apply to her sister in law and as others have said above, she has showed her arse here by that passive aggressive dig at Meghan for not showing Archie on the steps of the hospital. I always said Kate and her husband and mother has played a key role in the smear campaign against Meghan. Really can’t stand this bitch!

  9. Mia says:

    Good for Kate. I think it is great that she did a podcast. I also think that she is speaking her own truth. While I cannot imagine anyone enjoying labor… maybe she did. It makes me like her even more!!

    • YaGotMe says:

      I loved being pregnant and labor wasn’t awful — it was the whole raising them to not act like wolves that was the most difficult!

  10. Awkward symphony says:

    I couldn’t get past how she was silent during the smearing of Meghan which could’ve affected her pregnancy. She loves to talk about early years and mental health but couldn’t even bother return the public support her BIL harry gave her especially during her naked pictures fiasco.

  11. Vava says:

    Kate is so clueless. She sounds like an absolute TWIT.

  12. Smalltown Girl says:

    Yeah that bit about the mental well-being of the mother rubbed me the wrong way too, because we know how miserable Meghan was and how she was raked over the coals and how no one helped her (and in fact the Royal family was contributing, though unlike most posters here I think Charles and the York’s contributed as much as William to the whole thing) and I just… Yeah, doesn’t sit right. I like a lot of the rest of what she is saying, but that comment not so much.

  13. Busyann says:

    Someone wanted to know what was going on during the pregnancy with Prince Lou? I’m pretty sure he was the band aid baby after Kate found out about Rose. I’ve always felt that way. Especially since Will had gone on record saying 2 babies only but Kate wanted a 3rd. What changed suddenly in Kate’s favor? She kept her mouth quiet about the affair and Lou was her gift from Will.

    Now with that said, I do not like these people. Including Kate. Everything that happened to Meghan and Harry was because of Will and Kate, and I’m pretty sure Carole had her hands in that campaign too. Maybe even more than Kate. Which sucks, because I really used to come to Kate’s defense here and really followed their comings and goings. I was a huge fan. Up until they revealed who they truly really are.

    I say that because, my disgust of Kate aside, I truly feel there has been a massive shift in her marriage with Will. I look at some of her comments, not necessarily as a dig to Meghan, but more of an….Kate’s eyes are now wide open to who she married and what she married into for a Crown that probably won’t be around around much longer.

    Girl, you said yes to this mess. There will be no running to Canada for you.

    • Digital Unicorn says:

      Kate has always known what kind of man she married, I personally think that she thought things would change once they had a family of their own. It didn’t and I think that has been the big eye opener for her – William talks the talk about being a better parent than his father but he can’t/won’t walk the walk.

    • Tessa says:

      Kate makes it sound that William was rather passive while she was in labor. DIana mentioned that Charles was there supporting her in the labor room.

    • Maxie says:

      Harry and Meghan had a problem with William and it was obvious. They were both quite nice to Kate in their rare Fab Four appearances.

      As for Carole Middleton, the tabloids don’t need anyone’s help to trash someone. She’s a grandmother of four and probably has better things to do than to tell them that avocados kill people in Mexico. Most women don’t give pay any attention to their daughter’s SIL especially if the SILs aren’t close and never see each other.

      • notasugarhere says:

        Carole has been complicit in the PR attacks on Meghan and embiggening of Kate for the past three years. Her self-aggrandizing Carole the Hurricane interview was painfully obvious, in which she openly slammed the way Meghan was doing the royal job.

      • Olenna says:

        QM Carole has also had several spotlight articles in the FM and elsewhere in the past few years to showcase her own motherly and businesswoman “qualities”. Carole is all about Carole and, by extension, her FFQ daughter. Don’t know how anyone missed that.

      • Olenna says:

        edit: articles in the “DM”

      • Antonym says:

        @Olenna – when I saw FM I read “fail mail” and thought it was perfect.

    • Bohemian Angel says:

      I now totally believe what people have been saying for a while, that Meghan would never fit into the “royal family”… BECAUSE SHE IS A NICE PERSON!
      That family are self obsessed, over privileged, narcissistic, out of touch, racist arse holes, I’m so glad they made the decision to leave that mess.
      Kate and William however are exactly where they should be. 😜

    • notasugarhere says:

      Lou wasn’t the bandaid for Rose, he was the bandaid for William getting caught Dad dancing (and other things?) on a lads skiing trip. W&K went on separate skiing holidays that weekend, leaving their two kids home with the nannies. Cannot work more because of mom guilt, but has no problem dumping them for a skiing holiday for Pippa’s hen weekend. Missed the Commonwealth service that year for those skiing holidays.

      If there is a Baby #4, that will be the bandaid for Rose.

      • GirlMonday says:

        I don’t even like Kate. . . AT ALL, but c’mon, it was her sister’s bachelorette party.

      • notasugarhere says:

        She chose to leave the kids behind, and both of them were gone the same weekend on fun skiing trips. It proves directly their lies about ‘cannot work more, have to be with the kids’ to be PR. They have no problem with both parents away from the kids on holiday.

      • Nic919 says:

        Shouldn’t William have skipped his ski trip if Kate was going to her sister’s bachelorette party? William should have gotten a lot more flack for that because their excuse for not working as much is that they don’t want to leave the kids with nanny Maria, except they both did to take a holiday. If Kate’s event couldn’t be rescheduled then what was William doing? In a normal parent situation one of the parents would have stayed home. Why does it seem like William gets a pass on acting like an involved parent?

      • notasugarhere says:

        They both left 8 month old George with the brand new nanny for 10 days. Took over an entire resort in the Maldives for yet another vacation.

    • songbirds_thrive says:

      So true, @Busyann. I feel you.
      @Busyann said: “Will had gone on record saying 2 babies only but Kate wanted a 3rd. What changed suddenly in Kate’s favor?”
      I think in part that Kate got some leverage with Will after his ill-advised skipping Commonwealth Day ceremonies in 2017 in order to go on a ‘Dad-dancing’ ski trip with his guy crew and some females at the ski resort bar. To be honest, I think Will was absolutely jealous of Harry having a passionate, whirlwind romance with a gorgeous American actress. Everyone could see the change in Harry, and few could get over Meghan’s ethnic background. Kate and her mom Carole were obviously alarmed too by Harry falling deeply in love with a glamorous American actress. No more third wheel Harry to serve as the gentleman brother-in-law helpmate and goofy buffer for Kate during public engagements, etc., with William. Meanwhile, it’s now clear that William and Harry have always had a jocular sibling rivalry, and that like most siblings they don’t always get along with flying colors. Harry was always more athletic and the better polo player. Being left-handed, it was harder for William to become a good polo player (polo must be played right-handed). William is a better player now, but he’s much improved because he was motivated to beat his little brother. Similarly, William had the 7-year-itch in his marriage just as he saw his bro having a good time falling passionately in love (something which had eluded William when Isabella Calthorpe did not feel the same attraction; btw, Kate reportedly felt very threatened by Calthorpe because William had so easily ditched Kate to run after Calthorpe. For William it must have been the real deal. For Calthorpe, William and living the royal life was far from what she wanted. Kate dodged that bullet).
      So Kate probably gave William the ultimatum, and he was probably feeling horny, so maybe it was romantic too, making a third baby while M&H’s romance was hot and getting hotter. From what I’ve heard though I don’t know for sure, RH came into the picture around that time as Wm began tending to her rosebush after Kate became pregnant with Louis and went through her usual first months of severe nausea and bed rest.

      • songbirds_thrive says:

        Oh, now I see @notasugarhere already accurately tagged William’s ‘Dad-dancing’ escapade as the real leverage Kate likely used to get baby #3 in the oven. RH entanglement came afterward, reportedly…

      • Amy Too says:

        That’s one of the reasons for the smear campaign that I hadn’t considered enough: William and Kate were mad that Harry was getting married and becoming independent from them and therefore wouldn’t be there to serve as a buffer between them during their engagements. And also, Harry has always been so beloved with the public and lightens the mood everywhere, the crowds would’ve loved seeing him, and Will, or at least Kate, probably felt a bit more comfortable and relaxed on their walkabouts since Harry was there to take off the pressure a bit. But without Harry there, the public only have Will and Kate, and they’re not so warm and fuzzy, they’re not funny or likable, they don’t connect as easily with the public. Maybe with Harry gone, Will and Kate are suddenly noticing a difference in their crowd sizes or how excited the crowd is to see them? And now will and Kate have to interact with each other and we’re getting strange forced PDA that ends up with the shrug heard round the world and stepping out of each other’s touch. Kate used to be able to chat with Harry, he’d take care of her, they’d laugh together, while William was off waking ahead being the Very Important One. Now Kate is forced to try to interact with William, following him around giving him puppy eyes, willing him to look at her, while he ignores her. I imagine that these sorts of outings are much less fun and much more stressful without Harry there. Just the car rides there and back without Harry must be fraught and tense with only each other to talk to.

  14. Beach Dreams says:

    This podcast showed just how ignorant, sheltered, and out of touch Kate is. Some of her comments were definitely digs at Meghan; there’s no way KP didn’t screen/approve the questions she received beforehand. It’s pathetic and it’s more evidence that she wasn’t just a passive observer in the smear campaign.

    Well, she can continue to make digs at Meghan if she thinks it’ll make her feel better, but I’m sure it won’t. It’s certainly not going to erase her husband’s infidelity or all the stress/unhappiness that’s clearly showing in her face and body. She got raked over the coals for her Scotland trip on social media (by folks who aren’t royal watchers), and people were starting to criticize her idiotic podcast comments before the news of Caroline Flack’s death took over. She’d better be careful because people aren’t buying into the media’s “Saint Kate” campaign.

    • kerwood says:

      Her pathetic little digs at Meghan aren’t going to keep Normal Bill’s scepter from wandering. And in a few years, when the hysteria is over and the public is once again bored with the Cambridges, she’s going to have to explain her lack of support for the Duchess of Sussex.

      • Nic919 says:

        I have already seen a few articles critical of the podcast, one of them calling it baby babble. The tide is turning as many here said it would because the tabloid machine is never satisfied.

  15. Guest2.0 says:

    More proof of the double standard. Meghan was attacked in the media for using hypnobirthing, but Kate also used it as well, but no sanctimonious outrage. SMDH.

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EQ1F6XXWAAI3dZS?format=jpg&name=large

    • kerwood says:

      These people are beneath contempt.

    • RoyalBlue says:

      Keep bringing the receipts! The narrative they created around Meghan is despicable. How does Kate make those comments with a straight face, unless she is part of the team belittling Meghan.

      Remember when Meghan broke protocol by not wearing a hat when she went on duty with the queen? I believe that was a setup to make her look bad. You mean to tell me it was basic knowledge and no one pointed it out to her.

    • Olenna says:

      The DoS was also repeatedly targeted and critiqued about her aging womb and geriatric pregnancy, despite the fact she and the other duchess are nearly the same age. Yet, the same people are looking forward to Cambridge baby #4.

      • VS says:

        @Olenna ——– what is there to look forward to as far as keen Kate is concerned? I do understand why they don’t want her to talk; It is better that way! at least, when she doesn’t talk, no one knows that she doesn’t know much……….
        She better just smiles, does the ribbon cutting, and has more babies. As far as I am concerned, that’s her real value to the RF; she is not cut for the important stuffs and that should be fine too!

      • Olenna says:

        @VS, I think she, too, believed her greatest value was as an heir-maker and trophy wife. If she believed otherwise, she would’ve been working harder outside the home and less on her wardrobe. She would’ve worked to improve her public speaking and actively worked on meaningful projects (like, yes, the DoS) years ago. Instead, she’s played up the SAHM role (despite having a wealth of help) and spent tons of dough on her appearance and clothes. Now, the public is treated to this perfect mom image and all the bigots and racists who slated the DoS think she’s saving the monarchy after the Sussexes allegedly tried to destroy it. SMDH.

      • VS says:

        @Olenna —— if the bigots were winning, her charity wouldn’t be closing. the thing about haters is that they don’t spend money to encourage you; they are only there because they hate someone else and hate hasn’t ever solved anything. I am one of those who is fine with keen kate be a Stay-at-home mother; there is nothing wrong with it. She is not the one who would ever come up with a cookbook or smartset to help any of her charities; she is also not the one who will ever participate in a panel or talk at the UN. So the RF should just let her have her babies, smile and be pretty next to W. 10 years of nothingness………she does deserve a price for that!

      • Olenna says:

        @VS, Duchess Keen is being challenged right now to show more and do more. Whether it’s because of the Sussexes or Pedo Andy, or both, her luxury lifestyle of birthing babies, doing one-hour appearances every few weeks and having nannies to do the heavy lifting, so to speak, has been put on hold. If she’s capable of more than being a SAHM and clothes horse, which I think she is, we’ll all get to see it on the grand stage (or headlines) of the tabloids.

      • Amy Too says:

        VS, if Kate wants to be a STAHM, and it appears she does, I think maybe they should make it clear that she’s not taking her own portion of sovereign grant money or getting her clothes paid for by Charles. If she wants to be a STAHM, which I would also be fine with until the kids were all in grade school, then announce that she’s going to be a STAHM, and not a senior working royal, and let her live off of her husband’s money, like other STAHMs do. I don’t think she should be getting paid for being a senior working royal and have all her clothes and travel paid for by Charles because her clothes might be working clothes, if she’s not working. It’s this whole wanting to be called a senior full time working royal, wanting to act like she’s been very busy for 8 years, acting like her projects (survey) have had a ton of behind the scenes work put into them and they’re real, legitimate solutions that will have real, legitimate results for her patronages, wanting to be treated like a serious working woman, when she’s clearly not that’s so bothersome. The press are all forced to praise her hard work and initiative when she’s not working hard or doing anything innovative. We’re supposed to act like she’s really stuck in and helping her patronages, when her patronages are literally closing down. We’re supposed to pretend that she’s really brave for juggling mom life and full time working royal life. She gets praised for giving speeches as if they’re super impactful and inspiring and she has some kind of insight into the thing she’s talking about from all of her years of working, when she’s not a good speech giver and the things she says are not based on years of work experience and research. Just be honest about it, quit pretending she’s a full time working royal, and quit paying her like she is.

      • Amy Too says:

        And to add: Kate’s pretending to work, and not just being an out and honest STAHM, also complicated the amount of work Meghan and Harry could do. Meghan especially wasn’t supposed to be seen outworking Kate because Kate was the more senior royal or whatever, but since Kate was basically just being a STAHM who only called herself a full time working royal despite the fact that she could spend weeks at a time without doing a single engagement, that significantly lessened the amount of work Meghan could do. If Kate hadn’t been classified as a full time working royal, then it wouldn’t matter at all if Meghan worked more than her. Because a STAHM isn’t supposed to work and no one expects her to do it doesn’t matter if her working sister in law outworks her.

      • VS says:

        @Amy Too, @Olenna ——– I am disagreeing with you and I get your point but you and I know that’s never going to happen. The RF will never allow her to NOT be considered as a full time working royal even though she is just a SAHM as the woman has never made any impact in her entire life…………that’s why I said I would be fine with her just staying at home and having babies.
        Amy Too. I do get your point that if she is allowed to stay at home, then that put constraint on other working royals; that’s a great point, I never thought about it that way when I suggested her just staying at home.
        Anyway, Meghan is out of there! she no longer has to follow archaic rules about not outworking a mediocre woman

    • Guest with Cat says:

      We don’t even know what Meghan did or didnt do, at least I’ve never read any credible accounts of Archie’s birth. But Meghan was being vilified for what people imagined she MIGHT do, based on the fact she’s from California and practises yoga.

      I saw speculation she already had appointments set up for plastic surgery and liposuction of the baby weight presented as absolute fact.

      So I laughed my ass off to watch her proudly exist in her natural post partum body at all of her public appearances. It was also sweet when someone complimented her on her appearance and Harry beamed and told her “See I told you you look fantastic” or something to that effect.

      I don’t really know why the media or the public acts like the world would come to an end if a royal woman tries something new to make pregnancy, labor and delivery less uncomfortable and terrifying. Why are they expected to do everything the way the Queen did it over 70-50 years ago?

  16. Marjorie says:

    Really the only thing she can talk about with any ownership is having those kids – it’s the only thing she is essential for. Everything else in her life is staffed by her in laws or managed by her mom. Maybe she has a say-so in her wardrobe (buttons!). And she seems to be tightly controlling what she eats. After reading these excerpts I almost feel sorry for her.

  17. JByrdKU says:

    Sorry, but I refuse to believe that her FIRST childbirth was enjoyable. No one looked at her on those steps and thought ‘yes, there’s a woman who breezed through a 2 hour labor.’

    She looked like she suffered a hard pregnancy and a hard first-time labor, just with the benefit of a professional makeup team. I call bullshit.

    • YaGotMe says:

      It was her experience 🤷‍♀️

    • Kk2 says:

      She didn’t say it was easy or painless, just that she enjoyed it, partly because pregnancy was so miserable and this was the end. Also I think there is a tendency to romanticize labor years later.

      And I don’t read anything into her comments about William because quite frankly in labor, the man is mostly window dressing. I had one unmedicated labor (with hypnobirthing) and my husband did help getting me ice chips and stuff but at the end of the day, the woman does that alone. No one else can do it for her. Hypnobirthing is also very much focused on the woman, it is not really partner coached. That said, I sure as hell did not enjoy it. I had an epidural for my second and I did enjoy that in a lot of ways and look back on that labor fondly.

      This is a good look for her, sharing more personal details makes them more approachable. Sussex inspired, I think.

  18. Tessa says:

    I am wondering about Kate’s comment about their not knowing the sex of their first child . : “I didn’t know, no it was a surprise. But also seeing… you know your husband, William, and things like that. Seeing the pure joy of his face, it was really special.”

    Wouldn’t he have had pure joy on his face anyway? Was it “special” because it was a male child? Her comments sounds strange.

    • YaGotMe says:

      I’m pretty sure the gender had everything to do with that statement, that whole BS Patriarchy royal king blah blah. I’m sure Willy and Queenie would have been wildly disappointed if she’d had a girl first.

    • Amy Too says:

      Yes. She was relieved that it was a “healthy, happy baby boy.” Emphasis in boy, I think. Especially since the follow up questions seem to be asking about whether she knew the gender ahead of time. She was “relieved” that it was a boy.

    • aria says:

      I always thought that William wants charlotte to be a boy like Harry and William. I always thought William rarely hold charlotte but we have seen many photos of him kissing Louis and George with char, none. Also, one thing that stuck me hard is that when William pulls that commercial jet sting, in one hand he is holding some back and in another, he is tightly holding George, char on her own and kate has Louis. I mean George is older than her and he would have walk easily and William better hold char. but char was trying to hold George hand in that photo. I have seen him more affection towards mia Tindall then char. i always feel that char is the odd one out in that family because the will has George and kate has Louis who saved her marriage. William also said its new experience that having char because she doesn’t have any sister I mean what happens to Zara, york girls they are not his sister?

      • Tessa says:

        I somehow think that if the first child was a girl followed by a boy she would not have ended up as a future monarch. Some technicality would have been found. I also find it odd that Charles never had a picture taken one on one with his only granddaughter. there are one on one photos with the Cambridge grandsons but none with Charlotte. Curiously he introduced a photo of himself to commemorate his 70th birthday interacting with one of Camilla’s granddaughters but none with his own granddaughter. In the photo of Charles and Camilla and his sons and their families, curiously CHarlotte is separated from the rest of her family. William and Kate and the boys sit near and interact with Charles. Charlotte is placed on the other side next to Camilla.

      • songbirds_thrive says:

        There’s a photo I’ve seen of William holding Charlotte (at the outdoor birthday party with balloons when she was still a toddler). I’m sure Will was happy to have a boy first. But I don’t think he slights his daughter. I think it’s fairly true that W/K are decent parents who love their kids.

        The Cambridges are just out-of-touch in other ways and seemingly a bit selfish, insecure, and unfortunately in bed with the British tabloids. It has sunk to W/K being willing to pap-walk their kids during Sandringham church stroll to give the media fodder to replace the Sussexes not being there, and in exchange for soft-balling/ignoring Prince Andrew attending the early service that day with PC.

        It was clear to me that Charlotte (4) and George (6) were a bit confused and not really much into the crowd adoration (and of course why should they have been at their young ages?) — For Kate being so into early childhood development, it looks like she will cave surrounding anything involving using her children, if it’s seen as being necessary to help the British monarchy survive rough times.

  19. Cidy says:

    Maybe its because I’m not looking for it, but I didn’t hear her throwing shade or even speaking slightly about Meg. I’m still a firm believer that Kate and Meg probably got along fine, the problem was between the brothers. That does not absolve Kate of her media silence during the treatment of her SIL but we dont know that she didnt try to mend things between H&W or try to reach out to Meg. She was definitely tossed in the spotlight to reap the benefit of MM being smeared, and her silence about that cant really go away or be ignored. But I dont see her throwing anyone under the bus by talking about her experience giving birth, having a baby and standing outside the Lido wing. It sounds like shes talking about just her own personal experience, just because she didnt say “it’s ok if other royals dont want to” doesn’t mean she was dragging Meg or smearing her.

    That having been said I think people are looking for the smear, searching for little digs where there may not be any. Meg made a decision on where she wanted to give birth that made the most sense for her and their family and I dont think Kate should have just blurted that out during an interview about her own experience.

    My little man came into the world via not my own labor, but I know it was very difficult on the woman he was born from, and she was on lots of medication and I applaud her for delivering my 11lb man into the world! Birth is an amazing thing. When I was talking to her about it she said that she honestly loved it before and after her epidural, because she felt purpose. I think that is interesting. Hypnobirthing sounds very interesting.

    I would love to hear from MM her perspective too, and all women, it’s so different! I’m sure Meg had support from Harry though, he seems like he would be very hands on with them – I’m not a person who can have natural children, my next child is coming at the end of the month but I wont be experiencing the labor.

    • YaGotMe says:

      Congratulations on your growing family!!!!

    • Joanna says:

      Yeah, I was looking to see where she was talking about Meghan but I don’t see anything? I like Meghan more than Kate but I don’t dislike Kate either. But Kate should have been more publicly supportive of Meghan.

    • JanetDR says:

      It’s somewhat indirect, but it doesn’t take much to compare her words to how Meghan was treated and see a very large discrepancy. If she cares so much, why didn’t she speak up for her sister in law?

    • Jaded says:

      Turning a blind eye to the obvious trashing of her sister-in-law is tantamount to throwing her under the bus. But I guess when your husband’s responsible for most of it you close your mouth and shut your eyes.

  20. leigh says:

    I don’t buy her Lindo steps comments. I think she relished that moment as part of her living out her dream as Diana 2.0. I believe she and Carole chose the dress she did to emulate Diana and that was all planned well in advance with excitement and anticipation of the moment. Now if she had made the moment more her own style-wise and not a copy of how Diana looked then I might buy her “terrifying” story.

    And she so gives herself away with her comment that she didn’t get that emotional well-being matters until her third pregnancy which she probably had to spend tracking Will’s movements and trying to break into his iphone to read his texts and keeping her eye out for Rose when they went into town from Anmer. Exhausting and depressing for her. But since she knew Harry wasn’t cheating she probably didn’t think Meghan had it that bad during her pregnancy I guess.

    • Digital Unicorn says:

      I agree I have always felt Kate loves the attention that comes with being on display that way – even during the GF she loved to mug for the paps. I always remember the story that she used to ask the photographers for copies of the photo’s for the ‘family scrapbook’ – that tells me GF loves her some press attention. The whole Middleton family loves it – with potentially the exception of Mike and James (I never got the vibe he was into as much as his mother and sisters were and that he was pushed in the media).

    • notasugarhere says:

      That blue polkadot dress was a copy of one Diana wore on honeymoon.

    • RoyalBlue says:

      Yes. She loves the attention and always has. that explains why they were incandescent with rage when attention was suddenly focused on the Sussexes. They suddenly looked second best. So now this sudden turn to take us back to the 1950s.

      She must also have some serious willful blindness to not see her own lack of support for her pregnant sister in law.

      It bothers me that will talks about the environment, saving the planet, and managing the estates while Kate keeps the talking points about babies. I am trying to put my finger on it but it’s subtle and almost like playing to their minivan stans.

      • yinyang says:

        And can I just say why people excuse Kate’s lack of acting against WIlliam is beyond me. I mean what kind of woman, in the year 2020 living in a first world country, actually abides by her husband when he’s acting this petty aginst his OWN brother. So brothers fight, most “normal” modern woman would ignore their husband’s stupid behaviour and love on their inlaws regardless. THis is how the leader woman of this first world country acts?? smh.

  21. kerwood says:

    And yet she stood by and watched while her pregnant sister-in-law was tortured.

    It’s pretty obvious that the British media (aided and abetted by the British royal family AND Katie Keen’s mother) were trying to force Meghan to miscarry, so Harry would be free to walk away from his ‘degree wife’. There are a lot of reasons why I dislike Keen Katie, but I will always despise her for this.

    • Babz says:

      The most egregious damage done to Meghan during her pregnancy was that garbage about her faking being pregnant. The comments were so damaging that they actually inspired crazies who went to her engagements, planning to attack her and rip off her “fake moon bump.” I do not believe for one second that if Harry and Meghan had used a surrogate that they would have tried to hide it. They are so authentic and compassionate and I believe that if they had used a surrogate, they would have used it as a teaching moment to heighten awareness of the viability of surrogacy as an option for parents to use. I believe she would have been open to a conversation about fertility issues for older moms, or moms in general. She was proud of being a mom, and being secretive would have not been in her nature. If they had tried to hide it, that would have been seen as them being ashamed of the way they wanted to approach parenthood, and they would have been torched for it. Pregnancy, especially the first time, is one of the most sacred, magical times of a woman’s life, and hers was ruined. It doesn’t get much worse than that, especially if you’re aware that it was being done in an effort to get you to lose your baby. The people attacking her – and those who stayed silent instead of defending her – have much to answer for.

  22. Sass says:

    Hard to believe that was only six years ago.

    I know people age but god Kate and Will looked so much better back then. Look at her dimples. He doesn’t look schlubby. Nowadays she looks tired all the time and he looks like a potato.

    • Becks1 says:

      I think Kate is one of those people who looks better with less makeup and more natural hair. Here, her hair is definitely blown out but not with the big curls, probably just enough to straighten it. It’s lighter in color, more sun streaked. She’s wearing wedges and we all know I HATE wedges but this is the only time I forgive them, when a new mom is wearing them lol.

      By the time she had the next two, her hair was darker again, fully styled, her dresses are more formal, she’ wore heels, heavy makeup, etc. she still looked way better than I did post babies LOL but I def think the “less makeup” look is a better one for her.

    • yinyang says:

      I don’t think Kate likes how she looks there, that’s why she always in a rush to lose weight after the pregnancies. She looks so much like Charlotte after her pregnancies and Pippa too.

  23. Geraldine Granger says:

    Question- I know lots is said About Carole Middleton. I don’t k ow a lot about her, how do we know she is so powerful or is able to get is much out there? I get that she managed Kate, but the parts about her pulling the strings at the palace or in the news. William always seemed like a control freak, so how would she be able to do all this?

    • YaGotMe says:

      The same way we “know” any of the other theories we rehash on every Royal article. We don’t, we take gossip stories from various rags and interpret the meanings based on our personal preferences of the subject at hand.
      We repeat them often and reinforce each other’s opinions based on those preferences and create various scenarios.

      In other words … we gossip!!

    • Amy Too says:

      I think it’s a combination of Carole being absolutely ruthless and very dedicated to getting William and Kate together in the first place, and then all the stories about how crucial she was to keeping them together, how she coddled will, and told Kate to keep taking him back. She’s been able to manage everyone’s emotions and lives to get what she wanted: Princess Kate. Then, she’s always there. Carole is staying at their houses whenever a baby is born or Kate stays with her, she’s babysitting the kids often, she shows up on royal engagements, they vacation with them often. And will and Kate are lazy and probably enjoy having someone like Carole to do a lot of the PR work and organizing their lives for them. So that’s the background.

      Then, a lot of articles about Carole being such a help to them, “the power behind the throne.” Many of the anti Meghan articles were specifically twisted to be pro-Kate. Not pro-William so much, but very pro-Kate and pro-Kate’s family. Any article that is critical of the Middletons or reporting on something awful they did, gets stamped out quickly and then we get articles and pictures of them on vacation or Kate’s brother riding around on his cute bicycle with his dogs in the basket. And one of the royal reporters literally tweeted out that she wanted to hear from Carole after sussexit was announced.

  24. minny says:

    “But I know some people do have really, really difficult times, and it’s not for everybody.”
    YA THINK Kate.
    WTF!!!
    Intergenerational trauma and infant mortality among African American women is a THING Kate!
    Add then the additional trauma brought on by you, your husband, the British Media all with the tacit silence/approval of Prince Charles and The Queen, well what could go wrong? This is pure evil. I’m hoping though, that it is complete and total cluelessness for humanities sake.

    • Jay says:

      Yeah, I wish she could have talked in more detail here rather than just giving a platitude “it’s not for everyone” – surely postpartum anxiety/depression and providing support to parents before, during, and right after birth is a crucial part of “the early years”? This is such a softball, an easy way to pivot to your survey. Missed opportunity to talk about something important.

  25. lili/lirael/whatever says:

    Actually I think Kate addressed the issue of her privileged position quite well and she can be well-spoken (or at least not dumb) I’ll give her credit for this. Her accent isn’t so posh anymore..

  26. CatWomen says:

    It’s really clear Kate is part of the firm and will never go against them, and that they trust her. I would like to understand what Kate was exactly supposed to do during Megan’s pregnancy that people are calling her out for here. Should she have given a press statement, tweeted,, appeared with her? What would have been a good supportive gesture that would not have had everyone else in the firm getting all upset with Kate at for doing, since, Kate doesn’t break rules. Also, everyone here was upset over the obvious throw Megan under the bus for Andrew situation, now your upset and it’s Kate’s fault. Out of the whole family , think Kate probably tried to be friendly with Megan as much as should could with Will, her passive aggressive emotional abusive cold husband, her crazy “Royal” in-laws, and trying to raise a family and being a very public figure. It’s a shame because Megan really would have done so much and I think Kate would rather be home , but, because of the powers to be, tradition, family feuds, the old grey men, whatever Megan or Kate would like is at the bottom of the list. That’s why Harry at least had to stand up ‘what Megan wants..etc”. I just think Andrew, Charles, Will, the media, Megan’s own crazy family, hurt her, much more then Kate has.

    • GuestOne says:

      Aren’t the Middletons meant to have good contacts at the Fail? And my understanding is that the Tatler editor& a writer are meant to be in her circle. They’ve done some of the biggest hit pieces& there were times during feudgate it was being said that Meghan wasn’t Kate’s cup of tea etc so leveraging those relationships & asking them to lay off, put supportive quote out there etc could have been done discreetly without putting royal family’s noses out of joint.

      Ultimately she might not have wanted to stick her neck out as maybe she doesn’t know Meghan well enough& it’s about self preservation which is fine. But then like William talking about diversity at the BAFTAS, racism in football or generally about mental health & cyber bullying, it rings hollow to champion importance of emotional health of a mum to-be if someone in your own extended family was facing these issues directly& it appears you didn’t lift a finger to help.

    • Nic919 says:

      Kate could have shut down the tabloid story where Meghan was accused of making her cry. She has shut down stories about hair extensions and botox in the past. This is the least she could have done.

      Kate is not a child and I see that so many resort to Kate being a weak victim in all of this. She may not have Williams tantrum power, but she can still do certain things and in this case she chose to remain silent about her sister in law. Her comments in the podcast show she knows damn well the importance of a pregnant woman being emotionally healthy but she doesn’t care enough to do anything to support her sister in law.

  27. Jessica says:

    She had a surrogate. It’s an open “secret” at this point.

    • CatWomen says:

      Jessica, do you mean Megan and that’s why Kate would have been silent? Megan looked like she had a post pregnancy body and just lost all her baby weight. Kate could never have had a surrogate, I can’t imagine that could ever happen. Interesting post…….

    • Jaded says:

      It’s not an open secret, it’s an open falsehood that is being promulgated by every sleazy tabloid/nutbar blogger out there. Honestly….the crap people will believe….

      • Babz says:

        I just commented about this very thing upthread. That is such garbage! Harry and Meghan would have been open about a surrogacy, because there is zero shame in it, and no reason to hide it. She gained baby weight, especially in her face, and it’s taken awhile to get rid of that weight. These nasty, awful rumors are simply one more attempt to delegitimize the biracial Duchess. Continuing to spread these lies just disgusting.

    • L84Tea says:

      @Jessica, that is the biggest load of CRAP. I’m sorry, but there are some things that just cannot be faked about a pregnancy. The widening of Meghan’s face and nose alone was proof she was pregnant. It happens in the later months of pregnancy to most women. The photo shoot with the baby showed a very, very obvious post birth body. Again, that was no padded suit. She clearly just gave birth. I don’t know if you’ve ever been pregnant or not, but there are tell tale signs (besides the giant bump) that give pregnancy away. Stop trying to perpetuate that NONSENSE.

  28. emmy says:

    It’s hilarious that people think Kate could just issue her own statements in support of anyone or anything. She does not have that kind of power inside that family.

    • songbirds_thrive says:

      @emmy, (also @Cidy and @Catwomen re your later comments) It’s really not about Kate issuing a statement. There are plenty of other ways of showing genuine support toward a beleaguered SIL, even if only behind-the-scenes, which there has been no sign of from Kate. There would have been evidence by now had there actually been any support or reaching out from Kate. There clearly has been none. Meghan would not have sent a message to Kate via reading Marianne Williamson’s ‘Our Deepest Fear’ poem at the 2018 Harry van Straubenzee Memorial Service, had Kate ever shown any semblance of support privately or otherwise.

      What I’ve seen instead are a lot of insider sourced quotes supposedly telling Kate’s ‘side of the story’ during the faux ‘rift’ between the SILs, and both before and after the Sussexes split from the royal family. I’ve seen everything from Kate reportedly lamenting that ‘Harry has changed,’ to ‘Kate writes her own speeches,’ and has her own ‘girl squad’ of close female friends, along with other passive-aggressive digs at Meghan.

      At first, I did not believe the worst. Like some of you here, I thought that Kate and Meghan while not close, at least got along even with having very different personalities and outlooks. By this point though, I think it’s clear that although Kate & Meghan have a measure of respect for each other, there is no friendship and no genuine connection. Any public displays of friendliness are apparently acting on both their parts. And it’s not about that old myth of women hating on each other. I think it’s obvious that Kate has not felt secure or generous enough to be completely and genuinely welcoming to Meghan.

      OTOH, Meghan has clearly made gestures and has bent over backwards in a number of ways trying to fit in, and also to respectfully defer while remaining true to herself with her own shoulders held high as a strong, kind SIL who has never tried to steal anyone’s spotlight regardless of the media’s worthless and false claims. (See the ‘Fab Four’ on stage in February 2018 at the Royal Foundation panel discussion; see Meghan in her first and second Sandringham Xmas walks; see Meghan dutifully walking behind Kate at Wimbledon and enduring a second difficult Wimbledon in 2019 watching her friend Serena lose while having to sit between both Kate & Pippa, with Kate mouthing sympathies).

      The media even pointedly asked the eventual Wimbledon ladies champion last year (it was not Serena) about what Duchess Kate said to her and how supportive and happy for her Duchess Kate must have been. The question was obviously asked by the press of the non-black winner who beat Serena, mainly because it’s known that Duchess Meghan is a good friend of Serena’s (the black Duchess subtly pitted against the white Duchess in counterpoint to the white player having beaten the black former champion).

      At 2018 Sandringham Christmas walk, I found Kate’s face full of tightness and tension. It looked like the last place Kate wanted to be, as I’m sure the plan had originally been for her & Will to spend 2018 Christmas with the Middletons. But due to all the ‘rift’ stories in the tabloids, the directive had come down that the ‘Fab Four’ must show up together at Sandringham to try and squash the rumors of rifts. Harry and William ignored each other, while Meghan looked cool, calm and collected and pregnant in navy blue with no tenseness in her face. This in contrast to Kate carrying tightness in her facial muscles as she put on a show of smiling and talking to Meghan. Kate otherwise looked resplendent in red as the FFQ.

    • Nic919 says:

      She issued statement about her hair extensions and botox through KP. Or do we really think that Lizzie approved that before they went out?

    • GuestOne says:

      Yeah I think they all know how to get their sides across whether through gestures, anonymous sourcing, direct statements etc.

    • Amy Too says:

      Will and Kate have their own office and their own PR people and their own social media at Kensington Palace. They have issued statements before denying that Kate has hair extensions, and uses Botox, and William shut down the Rose cheating story ASAP. They also send out all their own memos to the press about upcoming events and tours and patronages and stuff. It’s not like they’re forced to go through the Queen so there’s no way that Kate would be able to release a statement about anything. She literally has her own letterhead and PR people that release statements for them. They didn’t have to make a big statement about how they were seeing anti-black racism and anti-American xenophobia in the reporting about Meghan, or how they were seeing that the media was building Kate up while tearing Meghan down often for the exact same things, but they could have at least denied the specific stories that involved Meghan and Kate. “Meghan made Kate cry.” “Kate had to teach Meghan the right way to interact with the KP staff because Meghan was terrorizing them and being a difficult diva.” “Everyone at KP calls Meghan Me-gain or Duchess Difficult.” They couldn’t put out a statement that just said “this story is untrue”?

      Here’s something completely non-controversial that couldn’t possibly anger anyone or put Kate in any kind of danger: Kate could’ve work a piece from Meghan’s SmartWorks collection.

      She also could’ve interacted with Meghan and Archie at all at the polo game where both duchesses were there with their kids. Diana and Fergie used to interact all the time, so there’s no protocol against it or anything weird like that. She could have at the very least said hello. It appears that she did not approach Meghan at all during that game. And I’m sure people will say “Meghan could’ve approached Kate,” but when you’re the new kid in town, the new married-in in a family, it’s generally expected that the people who have been there longer and are already part of the group will approach you and try to make you comfortable and welcome, not the other way around.

  29. aquarius64 says:

    Did anyone catch that Kate let it out that William rehearsed with a DOLL to get George in the car seat? The Fail ran the story yesterday but it’s not there anymore.

  30. paddingtonjr says:

    It looks like Meghan isn’t the only actress in the family!! Kate has really rehearsed her new persona as a normal, everyday SAHM with such ordinary problems so well. The BRF apparently noticed how well H&M’s openness and honesty worked so now here comes normal Kate. If she really cared about a mother’s mental health, she could have simply staged a photo op of her and Meghan smiling together or of her acknowledging Meghan and Archie at the polo match. It would have gone a long way to show support for Meghan. How many pictures of the Cambridges and the Tindalls with their children have we seen? And not ONE with the former Fab Four and their kids?

    And about tradition or “thanking the public”, Kate? How about not ending a 115-year tradition of honoring the Irish Guards and handing out shamrocks because you didn’t want people to have expectations that you would honor this tradition every year?

  31. Molly says:

    Please…No more from this women speaking from the mindset of the ultimate life of privilege. What is she really sharing? What does she want the poor Brits to take from her podcast? Every time William and Kate opened their mouths I’m grateful for The American Revolution. I couldn’t imagine being forced to contribute to the lifestyle and condescension from William and Kate. It’s all bizarre and the more I learn of this family the less impressed I’ve become of “Royalty”. It’s the ultimate con job being pulled on the British People.

  32. She sounds programmed, as if she is Dutchess of Stepford

  33. Florence says:

    Oh go away Kate, you boring frumpy mouthpiece.

    Meghan has more grace and brains than you ever will.

  34. MsIam says:

    I think this was Kate jabbing the knife into Meghan again to make herself look good. She is a real piece of work. But karma……