Kate Middleton Says Motherhood Can Be “Isolating”
By Josh Duboff. Photos: Getty Images.
This has been quite a week for revelatory royal-related admissions, as Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Prince Harry have been talking very openly about their mental-health struggles, as they work to discuss the issue and promote their Heads Together organization in advance of the London Marathon this weekend.
Earlier this week, Prince Harry talked about going to therapy following the death of his mother, Princess Diana. Prince William posted a P.S.A. video featuring a FaceTime conversation with Lady Gaga about mental health. And on Thursday, the Duchess of Cambridge spoke quite candidly about her own mental-health challenges, in terms of grappling with motherhood, with attendees at the opening of the new Global Academy.
The co-founders of an app called Mush, which was created to help connect new mothers with one another, talked to Kate at the event about how they felt as though it was important for them to find other new moms to talk to after they had children. Per the Daily Mail, Kate said, “It is lonely at times. You do feel quite isolated . . . 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.”
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In a separate conversation at the event—which Kate attended with William and Harry—16-year-old Oliver Monger told Kate he was nervous to speak with her, explaining, “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.”
Kate responded, “I’m shy as well, so don’t worry.”
Monger later told reporters, “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.”
Global Academy is currently integrating “mental-health wellbeing classes” into its curriculum. Prince Harry told students that while mental health could be seen as a “dry, depressing subject,” one which “turned people away . . . If you can bring a light-hearted humor and encourage people to speak about the subject in that way, it puts a smile on your face.” William added, “The strongest guys are the ones who can talk about it.” And Harry continued, “I think the whole country has shown a real appetite to want to talk about this. We’ve sort of unlocked something. It’s like taking the lid off a boiling pan. It’s been simmering for a very long time and everyone’s desperate for it to come out.”
This story originally appeared on Vanity Fair.
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