Kate Middleton relies on her mum for ‘help, advice, and guidance’ when it comes to parenting

According to royal experts, Kate Middleton relies more so on her mum Carole Middleton for ‘help, advice, and guidance’ when it comes to parenting than she does on King Charles and Queen Camilla. 

• Kate Middleton often 'turns to' her mum for 'advice' and 'guidance' regarding her children and favours getting together with her 'and romping around with the kids' than letting them see their royal relatives, two royal experts have revealed.   
• The experts claim that this reliance on family outside The Firm is causing some 'tension' in the Royal Family as King Charles and Queen Camilla feel left out of the Wales children's upbringing. 
• In other royal news, The ‘big pressure’ Kate Middleton felt after giving birth - and it's surprisingly relatable.

Kate Middleton and Prince William have never been afraid to deviate from royal protocol or tradition when it comes to raising their children. Despite 'raising eyebrows' within The Firm, the couple still ‘prioritise’ taking ‘long summer holidays’ with their kids and, while their parenting style is new for the family, King Charles reportedly 'fully supports' the 'informal and fun' approach. 

But while Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis sit in the incredibly high positions of second, third, and fourth in the royal line of succession, royal experts have now claimed that it would be 'entirely wrong' to assume that the King and Queen, who brought George an £18,000 gift for his first birthday, have a big impact on the way they are raised. Instead, it's the Middletons who Kate and William reportedly turn to in times of need. 

Speaking on the Channel 5 documentary When the Middletons Met the Monarchy, royal commentator Jennie Bond shared that mother-of-three Kate Middleton always goes to her own mother, Carole Middleton, for 'help, advice, and guidance' regarding the upbringing of her children, rather than calling up King Charles and Queen Camilla to chat.

Royal author Tom Quinn backed up Bond's claims and explained that Kate likely prefers to speak with her own parents about the children as the Royal Family is 'too formal and stuck in its ways.'

He said, "I suspect everyone thinks that in terms of the children, the royal family will inevitably have the most influence, but that is entirely wrong. It will be the Middletons that have the influence, because the royal family is too formal, it's too stuck in its ways."

According to Bond, this preference has left the King and Queen feeling somewhat left out and Kate's favouring of her own parents is creating some 'tension.'

She shared, "I suppose there is a little tension at times between who gets to see the grandkids the most. Kate will always turn to Carole for help, advice guidance, and just get together and romping around with the kids - possibly before she would get together with Camilla and Charles."

It's not just Kate who leans on her own family over the royals, but William too, according to royal expert Richard Kay who also featured in the documentary. 

He revealed, "Prince William has said, 'Look I am not always going to be available for the royal family, I have another family and that is Mike and Carole Middleton and that is very important to me and Kate and my children'."

The claims are backed up by the Middletons' own quips about William and his important place in their lives. Speaking on The Today Show back in 2014, Kate's sister Pippa Middleton shared that she and William are 'very close' and often go to each other for advice. She said, "We support each other and get each other's opinions and things."

Kate's brother James has also been vocal about his relationship with William, saying their bond has helped him open up about various struggles he has faced in his life. Writing in a piece for The Mail about his mental health struggles, he revealed, "I feel compelled to talk about it openly because this is precisely what my brother-in-law Prince William, my sister Catherine and Prince Harry are advocating through their mental health charity Heads Together. I want to speak out, and they are my motivation for doing so."