work.” In January Kate launched “5 Big Questions
on the Under Fives,” a U.K.-wide survey targeted
to parents, caregivers and professionals about
the first years of children’s lives that has so far
garnered more than 200,000 responses. “She has
become credible in the early-years space,” says the
palace source. In the U.K., where the leading cause
of death among new mothers is suicide, Kate’s
spotlight on these issues has been welcomed by
experts and fellow moms alike. “It doesn’t matter
who you are or where you come from—we’re all go-
ing through a lot of the same things,” says Fletch-
er. “We are all having sleepless nights and going
through potty training or whatever it is... there’s
something that unites us all. I think having the
duchess on really highlights that.”
The interview also offered the first opportunity
to hear Kate open up about her own challenges as a
mom, beginning with her pregnancies. Plagued by
hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morn-Making Connections
She’s “so engaging and so enthusiastic” as she promotes
her survey (in London on Jan. 29), one charity head says.Listening and Learning
Kate (at Ark Open Farm in Northern Ireland on Feb. 12) “was very
nurturing,” says nursery school principal Jill McCandless.marked the clearest sign yet that Kate, who has giv-
en only very brief interviews since her engagement
interview with Prince William nearly 10 years ago,
is more confident than she has been in years past.
“She is exposing herself,” a palace source says of
her decision to speak about her life with William,
37, and their children George, 6, Charlotte, 4, and
Louis, who will be 2 in April. “This is not a vanity
exercise. This is her talking about her work and
what she has learned as a mother because of her
‘It’s thesimplethings thatreally domatter’
—KATEMarch 2, 2020 45All About Her
Meaningful
Necklace
Her gold pendant
is inscribed
with the initials
of George,
Charlotte and
Louis—a hint her
family may be
complete.