Princess Kate Takes the Lead on an Ordinary Household Task That Leaves Prince William Clueless

"I have no idea what I'm doing."

Kate Middleton wears a brown blazer with a burgundy and white polka dot blouse, and has long wavy brown hair, as she looks at Prince William, who is wearing a suit and tie and has beard stubble
(Image credit:  Danny Lawson - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Sometimes, royals really are just like us, according to Prince William. When it comes to carrying out ordinary chores around the home, Princess Kate is reportedly much more adept at one particular task.

King Charles is known to be passionate about his garden, but his son Prince William doesn't appear to have inherited the monarch's green fingers. However, Kate Middleton is apparently very talented in the area. In an interview, the Prince of Wales once revealed (via the Mirror), "My wife does all the gardening. I really like it, but I have no idea what I'm doing."

Princess Kate has had numerous opportunities to display her gardening talents to the public. In 2019, she secretly collaborated with the Royal Horticultural Society to create the "Back to Nature" garden, which was unveiled at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Kate Middleton and Queen Elizabeth at the 2019 RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London on May 20, 2019

Kate Middleton and Queen Elizabeth at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May 2019.

(Image credit: GEOFF PUGH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

According to the Mirror, Kate drew inspiration from her childhood to create the "Back to Nature" garden, including a treehouse and a swing in the design. She also made sure to include Princess Diana's favorite flowers, forget-me-nots, to pay tribute to her late mother-in-law.

The outlet reported that Princess Kate became nervous prior to Queen Elizabeth's arrival at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2019. "[B]efore Her Majesty arrived, a seemingly nervous Kate was eager to impress and scurried around the garden tidying up," the publication explained. "And according to onlookers, she was even spotted stuffing loose twigs and leaves into her designer handbag—all to make sure everything was looking perfect."

Kate Middleton poses with husband Prince William and their three smiling children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis

(Image credit: Getty Images/Will WARR / KENSINGTON PALACE / AFP)

Princess Kate isn't the only member of the Royal Family to carry out normal chores around the house. Queen Camilla's son, Tom Parker Bowles, recently revealed that his mother was likely the first Queen to carry out a rather ordinary task.

"It's probably true that my mother is the first Queen to have ever cooked," Parker Bowles told Discover Britain magazine. While conceding that Camilla "cooks less now" than she once did, the food writer shared that the Queen "cooked for two children for 20 years and is very good."

Amy Mackelden
Contributing Editor

Amy Mackelden is a contributing editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.