“Hugs are very important. That’s what I tell my children,” said the mum-of-three. Showing love and affection to her children is something the royal obviously holds dear to her heart judging by other comments the Duchess has made about being a mum.

“It’s very emotional. It’s such a special time. I think any parent will know what this feeling feels like,” Catherine said after welcoming George in 2013.

In an open letter the Duchess shared as part of Children’s Hospice Week in the UK recently, she wrote about the oh-so special moments she enjoys with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and baby Prince Louis.

“Spending quality time together is such an important aspect of family life and for me, as a mother, it is the simple family moments like playing outside together that I cherish,” she wrote.

On a school visit in 2017, Duchess Catherine spoke about the lessons she and Prince William hoped to instil in their children.

“My parents taught me about the importance of qualities like kindness, respect, and honesty, and I realise how central values like these have been to me throughout my life,” she said.

Duchess Kate has been open about her desire to bring up her children with Prince William in as normal an environment as possible, complete with lots of love and affection.

Prince George accompanies his parents on royal tours and appearances, but otherwise lives a quiet life at Kensington Palace with his nanny.

While Kate is protective of her children and tries to keep their lives as far away as possible from the prying lenses of the paparazzi, she knows that public interest in her kids is at an all time high.

She has issued an official warning to roving photographers following the birth of all her children, but she has also taken photos of her kids during important milestones (Charlotte’s first day of school as an example) and shared them with the public through their royals’ Instagram account.

Every parent wants to be friends with their kids and want their children to love them but sometimes all it take to firm up the mother-child bond is a strong ‘no’.

At sister Pippa’s wedding in 2017, the Duchess wasn’t afraid to tell her kids to be on their best behaviour, even when George was on he brink of throwing a little tantrum.

As any parent knows, technology can be both a blessing and a curse. So it’s little wonder then that a source close to the royal couple says that iPads have been banned at their home in Kensington Palace.

“As two people who grew up without gadgets for entertainment themselves, William and Kate are firm believers in toys, outdoor play and encouraging an active imagination,” the source reveals.

In an interview with the UK media, Kate revealed the name George affectionately gave to his great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, at the age of two and a half: Gan-Gan! Isn’t that sweet?

Kate makes sure all her kids get plenty of bonding time with their relatives, including her own mum Carole Middleton. She also makes sure the children know about the late Princess Diana by placing pictures of her around the house and talking about her frequently.

(Text: Ruth Devine, bauersyndication.com.au / Additional reporting: Natalya Molok)