Kate Middleton’s Post-Baby Routines

Despite the chaos surrounding the birth of H.R.H. George Alexander Louis, third in line to the British throne, Prince William and Kate Middleton have made decisions that ensure he'll get the best of two very different worlds, writes Vanity Fair contributor Katie Nicholl in an exclusive adaptation from her Kate Middleton biography, previewed in our October issue. George Brown, a friend of the Middleton family who has known grandparents Carole and Michael for 31 years, explains that before Kate married into the royal family, William promised the Middletons they could always be close to their daughter. Brown tells Nicholl, "It was a condition when they got married that they [Carole and Michael] would be a part of the grandchildren's lives. Carole's a natural with children, and she will be a wonderful grandmother, and I imagine she'll want to be very involved."

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Shortly after the birth, William, Kate, and George relocated to her parents' house in Bucklebury. A family member tells Nicholl that the move was a huge security operation, and that there was initially some resistance within the palace because of the complicated and expensive upheaval of relocating the couple's personal protection team. The source states, "I'm not sure the Queen was entirely in favor of the idea of them all moving to Bucklebury; it was certainly not the norm, but it was what Kate wanted, and William supported her and made it happen."

Nicholl reports that at the Middletons', the couple had their own wing, comprising a double en suite bedroom and private living room, while another bedroom had been converted into a nursery. The setup meant William and Kate could enjoy complete privacy as well as round-the-clock help from Carole and Michael. Nicholl reports that during the early weeks, George slept in the same room as the parents, in a Moses basket by Kate's side of the bed. Each morning, Carole whipped up nourishing fruit smoothies and healthy meals while Kate also snacked on her favorite muesli bars. Though Carole insisted on keeping visitors to a minimum, Pippa and James dropped in regularly to see the baby, while Kate's closest friends sent cashmere sleep suits and blankets for George, along with Kate's favorite Jo Malone orange-blossom-scented candles (the same she gave out at her baby shower, perhaps?) and bath oil.

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A friend who saw Prince William just two weeks after George's birth tells Nicholl, "He is absolutely loving it and he's a natural father. He is very relaxed and happy at home with Carole and Michael, whom he gets along with well. He joked that it was nice to have a bit of peace and quiet to get out to play polo. It was very sweet: he said that he wanted George to grow into a polo player and that he would teach his son to ride from a young age." Another friend tells Nicholl that the couple opted not to hire a maternity nurse: "William said he didn't want a nanny or nurse coming in and doing shifts. They were agreed on that. They wanted to do the early days themselves."

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