The Duchess of Cambridge has spoken candidly about the “isolation” of motherhood.
The royal mother-of-two made the relatable remarks while meeting with the co-founders of ‘Mush,’ an app designed to help new mums who are struggling with loneliness.
Kate, who chose to wear striking two-piece suit by Armani and her go-to nude heels from designer LK Bennett, explained to the app’s founders, Katie Massie-Taylor and Sarah Hesz, that despite her status and position she too has struggled with motherhood.
“It is lonely at times. You do feel quite isolated,” she confessed.
She added: “But actually so many other mothers are going through exactly what you’re going through. But it’s being brave enough, like you obviously were, to reach out.”
The 35-year-old royal, who was joined by her husband the Duke and brother-in-law Prince Harry at the important event, also met with a handful of students from the Global Academy, a school in Hayes, west London, which builds mental health wellbeing classes into its curriculum.
Kate made a particularly special connection with 16-year-old Oliver Monger, who began as a student at the academy when it opened last September.
He told the Duchess: “I’ve not really had a problem I’ve needed to talk to someone about but meeting you is a new thing. I don’t really know how to speak to someone so high. I’m quite shy.”
“I’m shy as well, so don’t worry,” Kate replied with a smile.
Speaking of his royal encounter, Oliver explained that meeting with the Duchess had “boosted” his confidence.
“That was just fantastic. It has really boosted my confidence. I had no idea what to say at first but she really put me at ease,” he told reporters.
William and Harry also spoke at the event, encouraging the students present to talk about their mental health problems and to provide a sympathetic ear for someone in need.
“If you can bring a light-hearted humour and encourage people to speak about the subject in that way, it puts a smile on your face,” Harry said.
William added: “The strongest guys are the ones who can talk about it.”
“The weak guys are the ones who bottle it away and it makes their lives spiral completely out of control. And it ruins their lives eventually.”
“You waste a lot of your life worrying and stressing about stuff that frankly, if you have a conversation and talk to somebody it will make everything much better.”
Prince Harry said: “I think the whole country has shown a real appetite to want to talk about this.”
“We’ve sort of unlocked something.”
The visit is the latest in a long series of events designed to promote the royal trio’s ‘Heads Together’ mental health initiative.