Kate Middleton has returned to her family at Adelaide Cottage after spending two weeks at the hospital after her abdominal surgery. The family of five has spent several days at Anmer Hall for the children’s half-term, and the fact that she can now travel is surely a good sign of her recovery.
Kate has previously said she does not like spending time in hospital at all, but over the years, she has had quite some experiences there. Not least as she’s given birth to three children, with Prince George arriving first in 2013.
When George was born, the world wanted to know all about it. William and Kate’s family and friends couldn’t wait to hear the news, however, it turns out that they didn’t – at least at first. In fact, Kate Middleton wasn’t allowed to even call her own mother, and there is one big reason for it.
Kate Middleton spent two weeks at The London Clinic before finally getting to see her children again. Two weeks without her own children is surely not a walk in the part, and every parent will surely agree.
Kate Middleton struggled during pregnancy
George, Charlotte and Louis have reunited with their mother at Adelaide Cottage, and life can continue as normal as possible.
The three royal children have had quite a childhood, especially considering that royal life is something rather special. Meanwhile, Prince William and Kate have made sure to give them as normal childhood as possible, which perhaps is one of the biggest signs of how the Prince and Princess of Wales want to modernize the monarchy.
While George, Charlotte, and Louis probably don’t have many worries in life, before their firstborn son was born, Kate was struggling. The pregnancy was tough and she was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum. It translates to acute morning sickness. She had to go to the hospital, an experience she recalled as “rotten.”
Kate had the same experience when pregnant with Charlotte and Louis, and in 2014, she had to cancel a royal tour because of her diagnosis.
Last year, during a visit to the Orchards Centre in Kent, the Princess of Wales decided to open up about her experience with acute morning sickness.
As reported by Express, Kate spoke to a father whose wife went through the same thing and told him: “I went through that. I know what that feels like.”
“No pregnancy is the same”
In 2020, Kate Middleton was a guest on Giovanna Fletcher’s podcast Happy Mum, Happy Baby, speaking on her condition.
“[It was] utterly rotten. I was really sick,” she said. “I wasn’t eating the things I should be eating and yet the body was still able to take all the goodness from my body and to grow new life, which I think is fascinating.”
“William didn’t feel he could do much to help and it’s hard to see you’re suffering without actually being able to do anything about it.”
Kate Middleton added that she “quite liked” labor because she had felt bad during her pregnancy.
“Because actually, it was an event that I knew there was going to be an ending to,” she explained. “But I know some people have really, really difficult times, so it’s not for everybody. No pregnancy is the same, no birth is the same.”
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Moreover, Kate began meditating and deep breathing – which helped.
“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,” she said. “I got very bad morning sickness, so I’m not the happiest of pregnant people.”
The podcast host Giovanna Fletcher later asked, “Have you had it every time or just the first time?”
“Yes, unfortunately,” Kate responded. “Lots of people have it far, far worse, but it was definitely a challenge. Not just for me but also for your loved ones around you – and I think that’s the thing – being pregnant and having a newborn baby and things like that, impacts everybody in the family.”
Kate Middleton was “terrified” before leaving hospital with newly born Prince George
In July 2013, William and Kate welcomed their firstborn son, George. The world was waiting for the exciting announcement that he had been born, not only because it was a royal baby but a future king.
Outside of the Lindo Wing in Paddington in London, just hours after he was born, Prince George made his first public appearance in front of a huge crowd. But leaving the hospital was, according to Kate, “terrifying.”
When she appeared on the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast, the Princess of Wales was asked how it was to welcome a life into this world while she knew there were thousands of people wanting to know about it and to see the young boy.
“Yeah, slightly terrifying, slightly terrifying, I’m not going to lie. I like to decompartmentalize – what’s the word – compartmentalize, yes, the whole thing.” She also explained that she decided to follow in her late mother-in-law Diana’s footsteps and pose on the hospital steps with her little bundle of joy, as per the Mirror.
“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.”
The Princess of Wales continued, “But equally it was coupled with a newborn baby, inexperienced parents, and the uncertainty of what that held, so there were all sorts of mixed emotions.”
Kate was not allowed to call her parents after George’s birth
Further, Fletcher asked Kate if she remembered how long she had between giving birth to George and later posing on the Lindo Wing steps.
“Oh my gosh, I can’t remember. Everything goes in a bit of a blur,” Kate replied.
She concluded, “I think, yeah, I did stay in hospital overnight. I remember it was one of the hottest days and nights with huge thunderstorms, so I didn’t get a huge amount of sleep, but George did, which was really great. I was keen to get home because, for me, being in hospital, I had all the memories of being in hospital because of being sick so it wasn’t a place I wanted to hang around in. So, I was really desperate to get home and get back to normality.”
When George was born it meant that a future king had arrived. As for every royal birth, security and keeping everything private is critical. As for many other areas within the royal sphere, the members of the family have many strict rules to follow. That also includes when welcoming a new family member, and as for Kate, one rule might sound quite harsh.
Prince William was with his wife when George was born and one can’t imagine their happiness as they got to see him for the first time. The couple surely wanted to let everyone know it had been a successful delivery, however, rules prevented them. Kate was not allowed to even tell her own mum the happy news. Why? Royal rules state that one person must be told first – and in this case, it was Queen Elizabeth.
As reported by OK! Magazine, royal protocol states that no one can know about the birth of a future monarch until the current monarch has gotten the news.
Therefore, Kate couldn’t tell her parents, other family members, or friends until Queen Elizabeth knew. When George was born, Prince William used a specially encrypted phone to call the queen, Cosmopolitan reported.
Reason why William and Kate’s children have three names
Meanwhile, there was also another very important royal rule that they had to follow. When a future monarch is born, the current monarch has to give consent for the name. George was approved – and you’ll soon get to read about why Prince William and Kate Middleton decided on that name.
The royal children at the top of the line of succession typically have three or more names. For example, Charles is named Charles Philip Arthur George, William is named William Arthur Philip Louis, and the late queen was named Elizabeth Alexandra Mary.
The same goes for William and Kate’s three children: George Alexander Louis, Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, and Louis Arthur Charles.
“The further down the line of succession, the more likely you are to have a more unique or untraditional name,” Carolyn Harris, author of Raising Royalty: 1,000 Years of Royal Parenting, said.
Thirdly, the monarch always gets to know what the name will be before it is announced. However, Queen Elizabeth – and, in the future, King Charles – didn’t have to approve the name the parents chose.
When Prince George was born, picking a name was tough, not least because it was their first child. Therefore, Prince William and Kate Middleton decided to do it in an un-royal fashion.
Prince William and Kate Middleton chose George’s name with help of family dog
William and Kate struggled to choose the name for their firstborn son. However, they came up with a solution in the picking process. According to the Times, the Prince and Princess of Wales brought in their dog, Lupo, who helped them choose from the list of possible contenders.
After putting all the possible names on scraps of paper and spreading them on their floor, they let Lupo in and watched which piece of writing he went up to. The English cocker spaniel picked George, and the case was closed.
Sadly, Lupo passed away in 2020.
“Very sadly, our dear dog, Lupo, passed away. He has been at the heart of our family for the past nine years, and we will miss him so much,” William and Kate shared on social media.
Not long after the Wales family says goodbye to Lupo, they welcomed a new cocker spaniel puppy, Orla, into their lives. Prince William and Princess Kate decided to adopt Orla from James Middleton, Kate’s brother, and have been a beloved family member ever since. George, Charlotte, and Louis have a best friend on four legs who will see the children grow up for many years.
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