Kate Middleton Was Totally Shocked When Someone Assumed She's The "Strict" Parent

Kate Middleton often appears to be the parent to take control of situations when she and husband Prince William are at royal events with their three children. If, say, 5-year-old Prince Louis has had too much sugar and starts acting up, it’s Kate Middleton who tries her best to get him to calm down. The same with 7-year-old daughter Princess Charlotte when she had a toddler tantrum on a royal tour of Germany. It wasn’t Prince William crouching down (in heels, never forget) to deal with a screaming little princess, it was Kate Middleton. But she doesn’t think that makes her the “strict” parent, evidently. In fact, when 93-year-old royal fan Aldith Grandison recently called Middleton the strict parent, the future queen appeared a bit indignant.

Sky News recently shared a video of Middleton meeting Grandison and her daughter, Jay Cee La Bouche at the Buckingham Palace royal garden party, where the three were discussing the ability to tell jokes. Something Middleton admitted was not exactly her forte.

“I’m terrible. I’m terrible at jokes,” Middleton told the mother and daughter, adding that Prince William is “very good” at telling jokes.

Grandison went on to tell the mother of three that she thought she was “the strict one” out of the two royal parents, and Middleton was shocked. “I’m definitely not strict!” she replied, laughing. “How can you tell that? Surely not!”

Middleton has long been known for being an exceptionally hands-on mom with her three royal kids. She loves to bake their birthday cakes, and is a big supporter of spending as much time outdoors as possible. But being deemed a “strict” parent has never really entered the conversation. In fact, Middleton even has a secret code to help her three kids calm down when they are out in public, saying to them, “Let’s take a break” when they get wound up in an effort to pause and relax. She also uses a “chat sofa” at home to give her kids the opportunity to talk things out, which doesn’t sound strict so much as mindful and aware of her kids’ needs.

That being said, the Princess of Wales does appear to keep a weather eye out for any bad behavior in her kids. She gets down to their eye level and gives them her full attention, but always with a bit of a laugh. Is that strict? She certainly doesn’t think so.