The British royals have had a busy time of late, not least because of the passing of Queen Elizabeth.
Naturally, the Queen’s death meant a very demanding time for the family – not only were they in mourning, but also had to show unity in public during a very challenging time. On top that, various family members are now set to take on new duties, including Prince William and Kate Middleton, who now have new titles as the Prince and Princess of Wales.
William and Kate have seen their lives change a fair bit over the last few months. They recently left Kensington Palace to move into Adelaide Cottage on grounds of Windsor Castle, while their children just started at a new school.
The couple are said to be taking some time off as Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are on their half-term break. One royal expert even claims that Kate has been feeling the pressure lately, dealing with both stress and anxiety.
In August, Prince Willam and Kate Middleton were set to start a new chapter of their lives after deciding to leave Kensington Palace in favor of Adelaide Cottage, just a 10-minute-walk from Windsor Castle.
William & Kate Middleton – new home at Adelaide Cottage
The cottage has a long royal history. Built in 1831, it was the home of Queen Adelaide, the wife of William IV. Despite its age, no significant renovations were planned before the Prince and Princess of Wales moved into the cottage with their three children, Princes George, Princess Catherine, and Prince Louis.
The couple, meanwhile, have also kept their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall, and their spacious apartment at Kensington Palace.
When Kate and William left Kensington, their children also enrolled at a new school, leaving Battersea for the private school Lambrook.
“Their Royal Highnesses are hugely grateful to Thomas’s Battersea, where George and Charlotte have had a happy start to their education since 2017 and 2019 respectively, and are pleased to have found a school for all three of their children which shares a similar ethos and values to Thomas’s,” a statement read in August.
“We are delighted that Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis will be joining us this coming September and very much look forward to welcoming the family, as we all as all of our new pupils, to our school community,” Jonathan Perry, headmaster at Lambrook, said.
It isn’t just any school the royal children attend, with Lambrook having a tradition of royal pupils. Two of Queen Victoria’s grandsons, Prince Christian Victor and Prince Albert of Schleswig-Holstein, were all students there.
New duties following the Queen’s passing
It provides a privileged education, too, with the annual fee for all three royal children estimated to be around $56,000, according to the BBC.
The school – which sits on 52 acres of countryside and has a nine-hole golf course and a swimming pool – says it aims to create “happy and thoughtful young adults who are global citizens.”
Moreover, there are even chickens, pigs, and bees on its grounds for pupils to look after.
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In September, everything changed for the royals when the Queen passed away.
The death of Her Majesty, and the following two-week mourning period, took its toll on the Royal Family. Not only were they left to mourn their beloved monarch and matriarch, but many royals had to accept new duties.
William, now next in line for the throne, and Kate Middleton got new titles as the Prince and Princess of Wales, and with those came new responsibilities.
As King Charles did when the Queen’s health began to deteriorate, William is now expected to assume many of Charles’ duties.
William’s duties as the Prince of Wales
Per the official royal website, the primary role of the Prince of Wales is to “support His Majesty the King as the focal point for national pride, unity, and allegiance.”
Charles helped his mother with many engagements as her health began to wane. He often represented her by welcoming dignitaries on home soil and attending state dinners during state visits as the Prince of Wales. Moreover, he also represented the Queen overseas at the state and ceremonial occasions.
Charles completed a total of 385 engagements in 2021, while William carried out 235. Now though, having becomes the Prince of Wales, it’s likely that the number of official events will increase.
Of course, just because William will be carrying out many new engagements, it doesn’t mean that Kate Middleton has a free ride seven days a week at Adelaide Cottage.
No, the Princess of Wales will also have a packed schedule – she and her husband will continue to perform many duties together. Meanwhile, Kate has her own engagements, and has become the Patron of charities and organizations that run causes close to her heart.
Kate Middleton – charity work, patronage
Over the years, Kate has shown interest in many good causes, including sports, history, child care, and mental health.
So what is royal patronage? Well, every year, each member of the Firm receives many requests from different organizations asking for their support. As the official royal website describes, the patronages “add status to an organization, and visits and involvement from a Royal Patron can often bring much-needed publicity.”
Since the royals get hundreds of requests each year, the members usually limit their patronages to a manageable number to give each organization quality time. Kate Middleton has done precisely that.
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Some of her patronages include Action for Children – helping with family support, foster care, adoption, child neglect, and disability respite therapy – and the children’s mental health charity Anna Freud National Centre For Children And Families.
One of the patronages closest to Kate’s heart is East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, which supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions. Moreover, she is also involved with the Evelina London Children’s Hospital.
As of now, William and Kate have taken a well-deserved break from their royal duties.
Kate & William taking time off royal duties
Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis are all on their October half-term break, giving their parents the ideal opportunity to prioritize spending time with their children.
A source close to the royals described the last number of weeks as a very “tense” time, especially for Kate.
“I can imagine they’re getting to know their new surroundings, and the children will be exploring the grounds there. They may also be taking this time to do any personalizing they want to do in their home, making it how they want,” royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK!.
“They will be focusing on family time and will be enjoying the outdoor pursuits they love like cycling, horse riding, walks, taking the dog out and barbecues – enjoying autumn and recharging their batteries after a very difficult first half-term for the children.”
William and Kate are understandably doing their best to juggle family life and royal duties. However, the last few months have meant more than just long hours.
Kate Middleton dealing with anxiety and stress, royal expert claims
According to royal correspondent Jenny Bond, their workload has been crazy.
“It’s been a brutal [work] schedule for William and Catherine and they’ve got a very young family,” Bond told OK!.
“I think the work-life balance must have been difficult these past few weeks and, let’s face it, it’s not going to get any easier with their new responsibilities.”
But royal expert Katie Nicholl, author of the new book The New Royals, says it’s not just been difficult. Rather, she claims that the workload, along with the move to Windsor and the Queen’s passing, has caused William and Kate much anxiety and stress.
“They’ve said that themselves… that this hasn’t been the settling period that they had hoped for,” Nicholl said on TalkTV’s show The Royal Tea.
“Of course, they made that big move just after the summer holidays to move to Windsor. A significant and pretty bold move leaving Kensington Palace, enrolling the children in new schools, and setting up a new life for themselves in Windsor,” she added.
“I think really so that they could be below the radar and have this normal family life which they are pretty successful in having. Of course, no one could have expected that the Queen would have died just at the start of all of that. Very, very difficult times. I think behind the scenes there is a fair bit of stress and anxiety for all of the family.”
William & Kate – upcoming US trip
In any case, it should go without saying that the last number of months have been hectic for William and Kate. In December, the couple is set to travel to the US, where they’ll visit New York and Boston to attend the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit.
William founded the Earthshot Prize in 2020. Earlier this year, it became an independent charity, with William as president.
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William was supposed to attend the Earthshot Prize innovation summit in New York last month. Sadly, he had to cancel because of the Queen’s sudden passing.
“Protecting the environment was a cause close to my grandmother’s heart. And I know she would have been delighted to hear about this event and the support you’re all giving our Earthshot finalists, the next generation of environmental pioneers,” William said in a recorded message in September.
The second Earthshot Prize awards ceremony is set to be held in Boston in December.
“Both Catherine and I are so excited to be coming to Boston in December, and we look forward to seeing you all very soon,” William added.
Let’s wish William and Kate all the best of luck.
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