The Princess of Wales often juggles life as a busy mum-of-three with ever-increasing royal duties – but it seems her wellness routine is one thing she has in place to help cope with the demands
As the pressures of royal life continue to mount up, the Princess of Wales is said to be focusing hard on finding inner calm amid the chaos.
Juggling life as a busy mum-of-three with an ever-increasing workload as part of a slimmed-down monarchy, Kate, 44, is thought to be following a soothing wellbeing regime to better equip herself for the growing demands of her position. As former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond tells us: “The next couple of months are busy ones for the royals, with RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Royal Ascot, the Order of the Garter ceremony and Trooping the Colour.
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“Catherine will be on parade for most of them, but these are also busy months in the school calendar. She won’t want to miss the sports days and end-of-term activities. So, like many a working parent, she will be juggling her work and home responsibilities.
“However, at least with the long summer evenings just around the corner, she can enjoy lots of outside time with her family at the end of the school and working day. And that remains her principle way of unwinding, de-stressing and rebalancing herself.”
From tennis sessions and forest-bathing to cold-water swimming and long walks, Kate is thought to have fine-tuned her routine so she is in the best possible headspace to raise her three young children and support her husband Prince William, 43, as king-in-waiting of the United Kingdom.
While she has upped her public appearances in recent months following her recovery from cancer, Kate understandably finds her role testing at times. Only two weeks ago at a Buckingham Palace reception to mark 100 years since the late Queen’s birth, she admitted to finding some engagements overwhelming. “I find these environments are really hard,” she said. “I’ve also got a very soft voice, so I always get told, ‘Speak up a bit louder.’”
Though an off-the-cuff remark, the strain on Kate as a global figurehead can hardly be overstated. On a day-to-day basis, she and William have been at the forefront of an extraordinarily troubled spell for the monarchy, with King Charles ’s own cancer struggles leading to a reduction in his duties.
As part of a smaller core of working royals, Kate and William are a more vital support than ever to the King, 77, and Queen, 78, who undertook a crunch diplomatic visit to the US last week hosted by President Trump and First Lady Melania. Also piling pressure on the prince and princess is the ongoing controversy around Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s removal from public life, plus unresolved tensions with Prince Harry and Meghan.
Most important to Kate, however, is her dedication to her role as a mother. She has previously opened up about the challenges of balancing work and family life.
Speaking on Giovanna Fletcher ’s podcast, Happy Mum, Happy Baby, in 2020, Kate admitted she experiences “mum guilt”, saying, “Anyone who says they don’t [feel it] is lying… There’s such a pull, but I am such a hands-on mum, and whatever you’re doing, you want to make sure you’re doing the uttermost best job you can for your children.”
As a way of coping, Kate is said to be prioritising her fitness and mental health, and in addition to early-morning tennis, jogging sessions and weight training, she is such a fan of yoga that she even invited her instructor to her and William’s wedding.
The couple are also known to adore long walks in the countryside with their three children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and eight-year-old Prince Louis.
“I think Catherine needs to be out in the open, with nature, feeling the fresh air on her face,” says Jennie. “That’s why we see her out and about, no matter what the weather. It’s her way of taking the stress out of the inevitable chaos of family life, and the juggling of work and home responsibilities.”
Kate is even a convert to so-called ‘forest-bathing,’ the Japanese art of walking slowly in woodland to ‘bathe’ in its serenity – as seen in her four-part video series celebrating nature, which helped her “discover what it means to be alive”. In the concluding part in January, Kate called nature “a quiet teacher and a soft voice that guides… helping us to heal”.
Her connection to the outdoors was on full display in the latest social media photo released by the royal couple to mark their crystal wedding anniversary last week. Taken by trusted photographer Matt Porteous, it shows them lying in the grass with their three children while on holiday in Cornwall over Easter.
In the adorable shot, Louis’s legs are entwined with Kate’s, while the beaming mum affectionately drapes an arm over George. Even their beloved dogs, a black cocker spaniel called Orla, and a chocolate spaniel whose name was revealed last week as Otto, were in the photo.
A caption with the photo on the Kensington Palace Instagram account read simply, “Celebrating 15 years of marriage,” along with a red heart emoji.
After spending the morning of their anniversary on a visit to IntoUniversity, a charity in Walworth which benefitted from their royal wedding gift fund, the couple stopped off for a romantic lunch at The Goring in Belgravia.
The iconic hotel has special relevance to the princess, as she stayed there the night before their 2011 wedding. With many key official royal engagements fast approaching this summer, we may see a lot more of Kate in the coming weeks. And as she strives to do her best as the obligations stack up, she will no doubt continue to reach into her personal wellbeing toolkit.
With the warmer months upon us, wild swimming is another passion for Kate. As she once told Mike Tindall on his podcast, T he Good, The Bad & The Rugby, “Personally, love swimming. Cold swimming, the colder the better.”
Having a dip in cool water is said by experts to help with stress responses, while also triggering the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin to create a post-swim high.
Another major priority for Kate is healthy eating, and she ensures the family always has nutritious meals – usually by 7pm to aid digestion.
Despite having help from a nanny, she likes to take charge in the kitchen, and is especially fond of making William’s favourite, roast chicken. As chef to the monarchy Carolyn Robb once said, “You have to remember that she’s not royal. She comes from a normal background and a normal home where she’s always cooked for herself.”
However, an evening glass of wine is less likely these days, as Kate has cut back on alcohol since overcoming cancer. During a visit to Southwark Brewing Company in London in March, she admitted, “Since my diagnosis, I haven’t had much alcohol. It’s something I have to be a lot more conscious of now.” She insists on getting plenty of sleep, and once revealed how she’s tucked up in bed by 10.30pm every night in order to maintain a consistent routine that makes nodding off easier.
It’s only two years since Kate first spoke of her cancer diagnosis following abdominal surgery in March 2024, and then revealed she was in remission in January 2025. She is said to have been attempting to find “the right balance” in life ever since.
Last summer, she stressed how much her illness had affected her. “You don’t necessarily, particularly when it’s the first time, appreciate how much impact it’s going to have,” she said. “You have to find your new normal and that takes time… it’s a roller-coaster.” By putting her wellbeing first, Kate appears to recognise that looking after herself is one of the most important jobs she will ever have…
