Kate Middleton opened up to the Queen about biggest parenting struggles with Prince George

The Duchess of Cambridge and the Queen have always had a close bond, and now it's been revealed Kate Middleton confided in her grandmother-in-law when she first became a mum.

When Kate and the Duke of Cambridge first became parents to their oldest son, Prince George, she opened up to the Queen about struggling to juggle royal duties and full-time parenting - having chosen to not get a nanny at first - at the family's Christmas celebrations at Sandringham.

In an interview for True Royal's Kate Middleton: Heir We Go Again documentary, royal expert Katie Nicholl said: "Kate was having a conversation with the Queen in which she confided that she had found being with George on her own, and not having a full-time nanny or a maternity nurse, very hard.

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"William and Kate wanted to be hands on parents, and they did it until September and then they recruited a nanny."

Kate's mum, Carole Middleton, also played a big role in helping Kate and Prince William with their children, George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

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Katie explained: "One of the things that allows William and Kate to be so ordinary is the presence of the Middletons in their lives.

"Carol is a regular through those golden gates at Kensington Palace, she whizzes through in her Land Rover. There is no security because everybody knows her. She turns up to help with bedtime and bath time. She is absolutely indispensable."

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But it seems William and Kate have managed to work out how to look after their children and be hands-on, and also carry out their royal duties, as Finding Freedom authors Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie recently explained that they have an “equal partnership.”

They added that William is “involved in every aspect of raising his three children – including school drop-off and pickup, as well as homework.”

Hayley is a Celebrity Features Editor with more than five years' experience in online and magazines. She currently looks after all things celebrity for Woman, Woman’s Own, Woman’s Weekly, Woman & Home, and Goodto.com. Before joining Future, Hayley spent a year as a TV reporter for Mirror Online and a year and a half as a showbiz and TV reporter for OK! Online - but was forced to write about tech and cars for a year before that, despite knowing nothing about either!.