Donning a dark knit cap and a puffer jacket in the footage filmed at arm’s length, the mother of three young royals encouraged parents to look out for themselves during the pandemic, as well as their children. The video was shared Sunday to Prince William and Kate’s official Kensington Royals account on Instagram.
“While this is Children's Mental Health Week, there has never been a more important time to talk about parental well-being and mental health, too,” Kate Middleton said. “Last year, you told me just how important this was that many of us find it hard to prioritize.
"This is a hugely challenging time for us all so please look after yourself, too,” she said. "Find those ways in which to share your thoughts and your feelings or find someone to talk to, because we really do need to be the very best versions of ourselves for the children in our care.”
The theme of this year’s initiative is “all about expressing yourself” and finding creative ways for children and adults?to?share “thoughts, ideas and feelings,” she said. "So whether that’s through photography, through art, through drama, through music or poetry, it’s finding those things that make you?feel good about yourself.”
The duchess has spoken throughout the pandemic about the struggles she and other parents have faced in lockdown, being both teacher and self-described?hairdresser to Prince George, 7, Princess Charlotte, 5, and Prince Louis, 2?, the latter “much to my children’s horror!”?
“Exhausting,” she summarized homeschooling in one word in a Zoom call last Thursday to discuss the experience with other parents.?
Duchess Kate took to her laptop on Jan. 26, 2021, to speak to three parents of children at a primary school in the London borough of Brent about their experiences of homeschooling and parenting during the coronavirus pandemic and the latest lockdown in the U.K. She wore a knit top and cardigan in shades of forest green.
Duchess Kate resumed her schedule of virtual engagements under Britain's latest pandemic lockdown, speaking with Holocaust survivors and youth ambassadors from Sandringham to mark Holocaust Memorial Day on Jan. 27, 2021. She wore a ribbed knit grey top by Alexander McQueen.
Prince William and Duchess Kate, dressed in tartan, appeared virtually to send a message to pandemic response staff in an ICU at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, Scotland, on Jan. 25, 2021, thanking them and wishing them well on Burns Night, which celebrates beloved Scottish poet Robert Burns. The couple treated staffers to food boxes featuring traditional Scottish goodies such as haggis, neeps, tatties and Burns Biscuits, through the NHS Charities Together program of which they are patrons.
Duchess Kate of Cambridge spoke to nurses at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust about their experiences during the pandemic and why their work matters, on a video call, Jan. 19, 2021. She looked smart in a dark jacket over a crisp white shirt.
Here she appears in a dressed down outfit to send a virtual good luck message to Sir Ben Ainslie and the INEOS TEAM UK before they participate in the Preliminary racing in the 36th America's Cup.
Duchess Kate and Prince Louis arrive for a special pantomime performance at London's Palladium Theatre on Dec. 11, hosted by The National Lottery, to thank key workers and their families for their efforts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Duchess Kate of Cambridge and Prince William visited Cardiff Castle on Dec. 8, 2020, in Cardiff, Wales, on the third day of their Royal Train tour of the UK to pay tribute to the inspiring work of individuals, organizations and initiatives to help others cope with the pandemic.
Duchess Kate wore a scarlet Alexander McQueen coat during part of day 3 of the train tour, with a tartan scarf and a matching tartan pleated skirt by Emilia Wickstead.
Duchess Kate speaks to local fans during a visit to Cleeve Court Care Home in Bath, England, Dec. 8, 2020, on the final day of a three-day Royal Train tour across the country.
Duchess Kate of Cambridge dons a mask during a visit to the Scottish Ambulance Service west of Edinburgh in Scotland on Dec. 7, 2020. It was the second day of a three-day Royal Train tour by Prince William and Duchess Kate to thank people and organizations in England, Scotland and Wales for their work in their communities during this pandemic year.
Duchess Kate wore her blue funnel neck Catherine Walker coat when she stepped off the Royal Train at Edinburgh Waverley Station during the Cambridge three-day tour across the country on Dec. 7, 2020.
Prince William and Duchess Kate visited the Batley Community Centre in northern England to meet volunteers who have supported elderly members of their community, on the second day of their tour on Dec. 7, 2020. Kate wore a navy blue, double-breasted Hobbs London coat.
Prince William and Duchess Kate of Cambridge arrive at London Euston Station on Dec. 6, 2020, to start a three-day tour on the Royal Train to pay tribute to individuals and organizations in England, Scotland and Wales who have helped their communities during the pandemic. Kate paired a dark green Alexander McQueen coat with a red and green tartan scarf and a floral face mask.
Duchess Kate spoke with transport workers at London Euston Station on Dec. 6, 2020, as she and Prince William began a three-day tour aboard the royal train to pay tribute to people, organizations and initiatives across the country that have supported their local communities this year.
Prince William and Duchess Kate of Cambridge speak via video link with men to discuss their experiences of parenthood during lockdown, in a photo released by Kensington Palace on Nov. 21, 2020. She wore a patterned blouse.
Duchess Kate is seen during one of a series of video calls she and Prince William made with British troops and their families during Remembrance Week, which began Nov. 8, 2020. She wore a white blouse with a black Peter Pan collar adorned with a red poppy.
Kate wore a long, crimson coat with a black bag and matching black pumps during a visit with Prince WIlliam to?Waterloo Station in central London from the launch of the?Hold Still campaign on Oct. 20, 2020.
Duchess Kate sported a white labcoat during a visit on Oct. 14, 2020 to the Institute of Reproductive and Development Biology at Imperial College in London.?
The visit came during Baby Loss Awareness Week, which?aims to provide connection, recognition and commemoration for bereaved parents, in addition to increasing a national understanding of the impact of pregnancy and baby loss.?
Prince William and Duchess Kate of Cambridge stood in for his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, at an audience at Buckingham Palace on Oct. 7, 2020, the first public royal event at the palace in months since the coronavirus pandemic.
Duchess Kate of Cambridge wore a blue belted V-necked dress to meet Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and his wife, Olena, during an audience at Buckingham Palace, on Oct. 7, 2020.
Duchess Kate of Cambridge visited students at the University of Derby to hear how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted university life and the measures taken to support student mental health, on Oct. 6, 2020 in Derby, England.
Duchess Kate chose a chic autumnal look for her visit to the University of Derby on Oct. 6, 2020, including a beige gingham print wool duster by Massimo Dutti.
Underneath her duster, Duchess Kate wore black ankle slacks and a Massimo Dutti cashmere crew neck sweater in aquamarine, plus black suede pumps with block heels.
Prince William and Duchess Kate of Cambridge speak via video call to a first responder from Kangaroo Island in South Australia about the impact of January's wildfires on critters such as a cuddly koala, in a picture released by Kensington Palace on Oct. 1, 20202. She wore a bright yellow top.
Duchess Kate of Cambridge joined Cub and Beaver Scouts in outdoor activities in northwest London on Sept. 29, 2020, when Kensington Palace announced she would become Joint President of The Scout Association.
Duchess Kate dressed like a Scout when she joined Cub and Beaver Scouts in outdoor activities in northwest London on Sept. 29, 2020. She wore an official red, white and navy Scouts scarf with a light blue blouse and a dark brown Really Wild vest, chocolate Massimo pants and See By Chloe combat ankle boots.
Duchess Kate toasted marshmallows with Scouts during a visit in West London on Sept. 29, 2020. As a new joint president of The Scout Association, she wanted to highlight their volunteer work during the coronavirus pandemic to support children and the elderly.
Duchess Kate met Morgan Alex Cassius and her baby, Makena Grace, at Battersea Park in London, Sept. 22, 2020, during a visit to hear about how parent-support groups, such as Home-Start and National Childbirth Trust, were affected during pandemic lockdown.
Duchess Kate looked stylishly casual for her Battersea Park visit, in a white top and a pair of tailored pink cropped pants that are part of a suit from Marks & Spencer, plus white tennis shoes.
At the London Bridge Jobcentre on Sept. 15, 2020, Duchess Kate brought back a red floral Calla shirt dress by Beulah London. She wore the dress in a May PSA promoting Mental Health Awareness Week.
Later in the day, as they helped make bagels on a visit to Beigel Bake Brick Lane Bakery, she and Prince William were still wearing their color-coordinated face masks – hers floral and his solid blue to match his jacket.
Duchess Kate wore a light blue floral midi-dress by Emilia Wickstead during a visit with Prince William to South Wales on Aug. 5, 2020, where they spoke to local businesses about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Duchess Kate of Cambridge and Prince William had a socially-distanced meeting with charities that will benefit from their Royal Foundation's $2 million fund to support frontline healthcare workers and national mental health services, at Sandringham, July 23, 2020.
Prince William and Duchess Kate of Cambridge met at Sandringham, July 23, 2020, with charities that will benefit from donations from their Royal Foundation's fund to support frontline workers and the nation's mental health. Kate wore a blue print-on-white summer shirt dress by Suzannah.
Duchess Kate of Cambridge and tennis star Andy Murray on a video call with students at Bond Primary School in Mitcham, England, on July 10, 2020, to talk about tennis now that Wimbledon was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Duchess Kate of Cambridge applies hand sanitizer during a visit to Queen Elizabeth Hospital as part of the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the National Health Service, on July 5, 2020 in Norfolk, near the Cambridge family country home.
Duchess Kate wore a teal-green patterened midi dress with a white collar by Beulah London during her visit to Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 5, 2020 in Norfolk, England.
In this screengrab on July 1, 2020, Prince William and Duchess Kate of Cambridge appear on a video call with staff at Fraser Health's Surrey Memorial Hospital in British Columbia to mark Canada Day. She wore a red and white tweed dress by Boden.
In her second in-person appearance since the coronavirus pandemic, Duchess Kate donned a lavender floral midi-dress for her June 25 visit to the Nook, a children's hospice in Norwich, England.
Royal fashion watchers identified Kate's summery frock as the Marie-Louise floral-print crepe midi dress from Faithfull the Brand. She paired it with a pair of beige espadrilles, her go-to footwear for warm weather.
As she worked potting trees and plants, Kate talked with children being treated at the hospice and their families. Here, she chats with?Sonny Saunders and his father Jordan.
Duchess Kate talks to members of staff at Fakenham Garden Centre in Norfolk, England on June 18, 2020, her first in-person public engagement since the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.
In this screen-grab from ITV's "This Morning" show on May 7, 2020, Duchess Kate of Cambridge is interviewed about "Hold Still," her community photography project with the National Portrait Gallery, inviting people from across the UK to submit a photographic portrait taken during the coronavirus pandemic. She is wearing a yellow silk floral midi dress by Raey.
Prince William and Duchess Kate spoke via video chat to volunteers in the UK to thank them for the support that they provide to their communities during the coronavirus pandemic. On Wednesday, June 3, 2020, they talked to Conscious Youth in West Yorkshire about the group's work boosting emotional resilience of young people in the region.
In this screengrab taken on May 13, 2020, Prince William and Duchess Kate spoke to crisis volunteers to mark the first anniversary of Shout, the mental health text messaging service they backed a year ago with Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan. Kate wore her hair pulled back, wearing what appeared to be a white scalloped short sleeve cardigan from Sandro Paris along with Catherine Zoraida fern drop earrings.
Prince William and Duchess Kate of Cambridge on a video call with staff and teachers from Casterton Primary Academy in Burnley, England, which is open to teach children of key workers and other vulnerable youngsters, April 8, 2020.
Duchess Kate of Cambridge speaks to her children's mental health charity, Place2Be, from her office at Kensington Palace, in picture released by the palace on March 29, 2020. She is wearing a Marks & Spencer pants suit in rose with cropped pants.
Duchess Kate of Cambridge hosted a dinner gala at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the 25th anniversary of her early-childhood patronage, Place2Be, on March 9, 2020. After the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in the morning, she changed into her blue lace-topped Jenny Packham gown for the evening.
On the last day of the Cambridge visit to Ireland, Duchess Kate kept up the green theme with a midi-dress in kelly green with white polka dots by Suzannah, which she wore to a meeting with Galway Community Circus performers, local artists and young musicians in western Ireland, March 5, 2020.
Duchess Kate waves from the door of a traditional Irish pub during a walkabout with Prince William along downtown Galway, in western Ireland, on March 5, 2020, during the last day of their official visit to Ireland. She wore a military-style fitted coat and black suede boots.
Let's take a look back at Duchess Kate's best looks. Currently in Ireland with Prince William for an official visit, she wore a vintage magenta dress by Oscar de la Renta at a reception in Dublin on March 4.
Duchess Kate of Cambridge dazzled in a sparkling green gown during a visit to the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin with her husband Prince William on March 3.