Juggling a full-time job with being a hands-on parent isn’t easy for any of us. Meetings, work calls, drop-offs, pick-ups… the to-do list is endless, and that’s when everything goes without a hitch.
Spare a thought, then, for the Princess of Wales, who is rising up the ranks as a senior royal, while simultaneously trying to raise three children under ten.
How does she do it? Well, aside from a rota of assistants and Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, her devoted Norland nanny, behind the scenes, it’s all down to careful planning, especially in terms of timing and location.
In the past eight weeks, almost every single one of Kate’s engagements has been within a 30-mile radius of her home — Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, Berkshire. The family moved there from Norfolk in September last year.
What’s more, they have all taken place between the hours of 9am and 4pm, meaning she can be around both before and after school (all three children attend Lambrook prep school, near Ascot) and never miss her children’s bedtime.
Spare a thought, then, for the Princess of Wales (pictured with her sons Prince George, left, and Prince Louis, right), who is rising up the ranks as a senior royal, while simultaneously trying to raise three children under ten
Ingrid Seward, royal biographer and editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, says this clever timetabling is an example of Kate’s ‘extremely logical mind’.
‘Any mum will be wondering how on earth she does it,’ Ingrid adds. ‘From the very start, Kate has been organised and disciplined. She gets up very early in the morning, and she is able to have a say on which engagements she will and won’t do, and discuss in advance which days she wants to work.
‘It’s extraordinary — somehow she also manages to fit in working out, getting her hair and make-up done, and still being there for the children. But don’t forget she can delegate, and she has a lot of help, which most women don’t.’
Kate rarely appears at a royal event on a Monday or a Friday, although she does seem happy to work weekends, when she’s free of the school run.
Tuesdays to Thursdays, by contrast, are her busiest days when it comes to engagements — and the ones on which she’s willing to travel farthest from home.
This week, for example, she opened the Young V&A museum in East London, 30 miles from her doorstep, and twice she has made midweek trips to Buckingham Palace, which is 25 miles away.
Conveniently, the Princess has taken to hosting private meetings at Windsor Castle, a ten-minute walk from Adelaide Cottage.
Several of her public engagements have been extremely close by: earlier this month, she visited Maidenhead Rugby Football Club, just 6.2 miles away.
Kate (pictured with her children) rarely appears at a royal event on a Monday or a Friday, although she does seem happy to work weekends, when she’s free of the school run
And in May she and William took part in the Big Help Out scheme at a Scout hut in Slough, a 20-minute (8.4-mile) round trip.
She has only been abroad for work once this year, to attend the wedding of Crown Prince Hussein with William in Amman, Jordan, and has taken just three trips outside the 30-mile radius of her home (to Bath, Southampton and Nuneaton) since the start of last month.
Her focus has shifted, too, to daytime openings, meetings and walkabouts: far more school-friendly than the glitzy dinners, galas and premieres she and William used to frequent.
And the working window is likely to get narrower still as the school holidays approach, with the Princess’s official diary currently showing nothing at all for July and August.
So just how does the royal juggle work in practice? Sarah Rainey looks into the careful calculations behind School Gate Kate’s busy week . . .
In the past eight weeks, almost every single one of Kate’s engagements has been within a 30-mile radius of her home — Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, Berkshire
1: On May 7 Kate and William attended the Big Lunch at Windsor Long Walk: 0.3 miles
2: On May 8 the Princess of Wales, along with the Prince of Wales, Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte, took part in the Big Help Out at the 3rd Upton Scouts Hut in Slough: 4.2 miles
3: On May 9 Kate attended the King’s Garden Party at Buckingham Palace: 25 miles
4: On May 18 the princess visited the Anna Freud Centre in central London: 28 miles
5: On May 22 Kate met with pupils from schools taking part in the first Children’s Picnic at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in south-west London: 24 miles
6: On May 25 the princess visited The Foundling Museum in central London: 27 miles
7: On June 6 Kate spent time with a group accessing the early years set of services during a visit to the Windsor Family Hub in Berkshire: 1.3 miles
8: On June 7 she visited the Maidenhead Rugby Club in Berkshire: 6.2 miles
9: On June 17 Kate (pictured with Prince Louis, Prince William and Princess Charlotte) attended Trooping The Colour in central London: 25 miles
10: On June 19 the princess and Sophie Duchess of Edinburgh were present for Garter Day at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle: 0.8 miles
11: On June 20 Kate reopened the National Portrait Gallery in London: 25 miles
12: On June 23 the princess attended day four of the Royal Ascot in Berkshire: 6.3 miles
13: On June 24 the Princess of Wales played tennis with Wimbledon Champion Roger Federer on the No.3 Court at Wimbledon in London: 27 miles
14: On June 28 Kate opened the Young V&A Museum in east London: 30 miles
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