It was the image that left most of the world asking: Just how does she do it?
Less than seven hours after giving birth to her thrid child, the Duchess of Cambridge appeared on the steps of the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington looking radiant.
In a red Jenny Packham dress and with her hair perfectly styled, she posed for three minutes with her 8lb 7oz new arrival on Monday evening.
But not everyone was impressed, with some women saying Kate’s impeccable appearance is unrealistic and puts ‘ridiculous pressure’ on new mothers to look perfect.
Leading the way was TV and radio presenter Katy Hill.
Former Blue Peter presenter Katy Hill, 47, shared a very candid snap of what she looked like after giving birth to encourage new mothers not to put pressure on themselves
The Duchess of Cambridge, 36, looked impeccably groomed as she stepped out of The Lindo Wing yesterday with her newborn son
Miss Hill, 47, said that Kate, by summoning her hairdresser and stylist to the Lindo Wing, had missed out on precious time alone with her new son.
Writing on her blog, the former Blue Peter presenter said that after giving birth to her two children she entered a euphoric haze the duchess would not have allowed herself to enjoy.
‘Kate was basically robbed of the intimate magic of those first few precious hours,’ she said. ‘Her haze would have been filled with blow-dries and make-up and tights and heels and a flurry of business to get her camera ready, to live up to protocol, tradition and expectation as the world’s press awaited’.
Miss Hill, who has daughters Kaya Sky, 12, and Akira, ten, said of the births: ‘On neither occasion can I remember feeling “put together” – or needing to.’
Katy Hill shared a very honest post-partum snap to highlight the incredible pressure on new mothers
Just need to rest: This new mother posted a picture of her with her newborn on Twitter
The reality for most: Susie Verrill posted this candid snapchat of herself in hospital
Blissfully exhausted: One woman tweeted this picture to BBC Woman’s Hour
Another mother shared a picture of herself seven hours after birth, in comparison to Kate’s ‘perfect’ appearance – joking ‘I’m the one on the right, in case you’re wondering’
Sharing a picture of herself in hospital after giving birth, one woman joked ‘the comparison is uncanny’
Kate’s fans didn’t expect her to look perfect so soon after childbirth, she said.
‘I wanted to shout, “Nooooo Kate”. I don’t expect to see a woman hours after giving birth wearing tights and heels and earrings.
‘I realise, as a duchess, she can’t do what I did and shuffle out in a baggy cotton sundress and flip flops. But neither do we expect a new mum to be that put together. Had she worn something more casual, you’d have heard a cacophony of collective cheers from women around the globe.’
Hundreds of women also expressed their concern for Kate on social media, claiming she was forced to perform in a ‘ridiculous circus’.
The presenter said that Kate had been robbed of the magic of being able to focus on nothing but her new baby for the first 24 hours
The Loose Women presenters also shared their own post-birth pictures. Stacey Solmon looked pale and tired after giving birth to her son
Saira Khan looked glowing with happiness, if a little worn out in her post-birth snap. Ann Diamond also looked a little pale but happy in hers (right)
That’s what’s a real new mum looks like! Linda Robson also shared a candid post-partum snap
Nadia Sawalha shared this candid snap that was a far cry from Kate Middleton’s polished appearance
Apprentice star Jessica Cunningham, pictured after giving birth, said she felt sorry for the Duchess of Cambridge
Jane Garvey, host of Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, asked listeners to send in pictures of themselves after giving birth, adding that she had looked like a ‘sack of spuds’ and did not get her figure back for ten years.
One woman commented: ‘I looked like a jaundiced deflated barrage balloon. I’m still blaming my tummy size on my baby – he’s 16.’
Another, alongside a photograph of herself in a hospital bed, said: ‘This is me, 18 hours after giving birth. Massive postpartum haemorrhage, several units of blood and emergency surgery, and I still look like death warmed up. Note pale skin, swelling and general exhaustion.’
Susie Verrill, who has two children with Olympic athlete Greg Rutherford, posted a picture of herself in hospital bed with one of them, captioned: ‘Me, 14 hours after giving birth. I would not have been up for standing on stairs.’
One mother commented ‘how we look right after we have our babies is not important’ as she shared a snap of her with her newborn online
Another new mother said she and her newborn had the ‘same battered and confused’ look on her face in this snap
One mother shared this sweet selfie of her and her newborn 12 hours after giving birth
Another mother said she didn’t get out of bed for 15 hours after giving birth, ‘let alone put high heels on’
But she added that women should not be mean about Kate for being unrealistic, adding: ‘That’ll be because she’s a princess.
‘It’s her reality. Don’t think Liz would want her in bummy joggers.’
Miss Hill also called for mothers to stop ‘worrying’ about how they looked and to instead enjoy ‘every second’ with their children.
In 2013, she posted a photograph of her post-baby body. Showing her in a white vest with her stomach sticking out. It garnered support from thousands of women.
Fans supported her blog comments yesterday, with one writing online: ‘I was in hospital for nearly 24 hours, I left it wearing a pyjama top, hoodie and leggings.
One woman shared this sweet snap of her and her baby in hospital shortly after giving birth
This mother shared a picture of herself with blood on her shirt after giving birth to her son
One woman commented that she looked like ‘death warmed up’ in this shot, after suffering a ‘massive post partum hemorrhage’
Another mother shared this snap of her and her wife, pictured just two hours after the birth of their baby son
Meanwhile, one mother shared this snap showing her with her children shortly after giving birth to her second child
Another mother shared a picture of her first cuddle with her newborn baby, who was born prematurely at 27 weeks
‘I felt sorry for her wearing a dress and heels, it is a shame, she should enjoy the first few hours’.
Another mother added: ‘I totally agree my thoughts weren’t that her dress was a nod to Diana, or how amazing she looked, they were that that poor woman was being robbed of those first precious hours because she felt pressured to look a certain way for the world’s media.’
Apprentice star Jessica Cunningham has also revealed that she ‘felt sorry’ for the Duchess of Cambridge following the birth of her third child.
The mother-of-three told FEMAIL: ‘I thought she looked absolutely fantastic, but for her to come out look like that – I felt really sorry for her.
‘When you’re just given birth your body’s just gone through a huge shock. You’re incredibly sore, and physically you’re not feeling your best.
The Duchess wore a bespoke red Jenny Packham dress with a white lace collar and diamond and pearl earrings borrowed from the Queen
One mother posted a picture of her with her newborn while still in her hospital gown
Another shared this cute snap of her cuddling up to her newborn while in hospital
One mother shared this snap of herself with her newborn after having an emergency C-section
Another woman shared this cute family snap after her husband delivered their baby daughter at home
One mother shared a snap of her with her newborn in hospital seven hours after giving birth
Mummy blogger Sophie Lilley, who goes by the moniker Tired ‘N Tested, shared this funny snap of herself as a parody following the birth of the Duchess of Cambridge’s third child
‘I can’t think of anything worse than putting on heels and tights and having my picture taken right after birth.
‘She and Prince William didn’t have a long time to enjoy the baby. She was back on duty, and that’s quite sad.’
Although Jessica – who is currently expecting her fourth child – says she doesn’t feel pressured by Kate’s immaculate appearance, she explained that she can understand why other mothers do.
She said: ‘It is completely unrealistic. She portrays this superwoman image.
‘After giving birth, I want to be sat in bed and eating toast, feeding and having one-on-one time with my baby. I don’t think I left the house in three days.’
The star of Loose Women have also shared their very honest post-birth snaps to prove that most real mothers look nothing like the impeccably polished Kate within hours of giving birth.
The presenters decided to ‘give a little bit of a reality check’ by sharing their own post-partum snaps, which displayed a much more bleary eyed and messy haired reality.
Responding to comments that Kate looked ‘amazing’, Nadia Sawalha said: ‘Was it amazing?
‘I thought “that poor woman”. She wants nothing more than a big sanitary towel and a rubber ring- to be lying around doing nothing.
‘And someone has to come and make her up and do her hair and make every other mother whose just had a baby feel like “ugh”.
‘I felt for her. She’s still a woman that’s just had a baby.’