Kate Middleton Breaks a Royal Tradition, Prioritizing Her Role as 'Mom' Over the Demands of the Crown

Kate Middleton is breaking a royal tradition, but the detour from the norm stems from a very good reason.

While the Princess of Wales has always accompanied Prince William at the annual Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony, she will not be in attendance this year. According to People, the mom of three is focusing on a major event for one of her children rather than appearing at the Singapore ceremony.

The Earthshot Prize Awards will take place on November 7, which coincides with a big week in Prince George’s world. The 10-year-old will endure a busy few days of exams at school, and Kate will stay home to support George through his studying and testing. The princess has joined her husband at the ceremony the past two years after William founded the Earthshot Prize in 2020, but he confirmed he would be traveling to China solo this year.

This isn’t the first time Kate has put motherhood ahead of her royal duties. She’s reimagined what being a mom in the monarchy can look like, establishing her own boundaries around how she prefers to raise George and his siblings, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.

Rather than having caretakers look after the children, Kate immerses herself in their day-to-day activities, taking them to school, chasing them around at events, and even baking their own birthday cakes. She clearly adores her kids, and the way she embraces motherhood reminds us of how Princess Diana mothered William and Prince Harry.

In August 2022, an insider told People they believed the princess’ commitment to her kids over the crown is because Kate “is not royal by birth, so she has that belief that she should spend time with her children.” Her parenting style was compared to Queen Elizabeth’s more detached method, which, in the late queen’s defense, was likely a result of her demanding role as Sovereign. Whatever the reason may be, Kate has made it clear her children are non-negotiable — and it’s a quality we love about the future queen.