Kate Middleton and Prince William are currently isolating at their country estate Anmer Hall in Norfolk with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and the Duke and Duchess have taken fans inside their lockdown experience via social media from the very beginning. Here, take a look at how they spent the first week in May, from birthday celebrations to home schooling…
Birthday celebrations
On 2 May, the family celebrated Princess Charlotte's fifth birthday. To mark the occasion, they released four new photos of Charlotte (taken by Kate), as they helped pack up and deliver food for pensioners in Norfolk.
The family also celebrated Prince Louis' birthday in lockdown, when he turned two on 23 April, and Kate and William shared some adorable photos of him painting. Kate previously shared that she would be spending his birthday eve baking a cake, before they dial in for a video call with the rest of the family the next day.
The birthdays didn't stop there. On 6 May, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's son Archie turned one, and Kate and William shared a post on Twitter to wish him well.
Clapping For Our Carers
Kate, William and the children have joined the nation in clapping for the UK's NHS workers every Thursday at 8pm. As part of the BBC's Big Night In at the end of April, the family even released a video of them doing so at their doorstep.
WATCH: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Clap For Our Carers
VE Day celebrations
8 May marked 75 years since the Second World War ended, and Kate and William took part in a series of engagements, including a video call with veterans at an East Sussex care home. The Duke and Duchess had the honour of speaking with the oldest resident, who told the pair about working on "secret messages" from then Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, while Kate opened up about her paternal grandmother Valerie Glassborow's role at the code-breaking centre, Bletchley Park "It's so sad that she's not here today," she said. "As I would love to speak to her more about it."
WATCH: Kate Middleton and Prince William join a call with war veterans
Maternal Health Week awareness
As an ode to Maternal Health Week, Kate surprised new parents Rebecca Attwood and John Gill on a video call 16 hours after they welcomed their baby son Max into the world, while speaking with the midwives she worked alongside on a two-day work placement at Kingston Hospital last November. Rebecca commented, "Having a baby is an extraordinary experience at any time, but having one during lockdown and then having a surprise conversation with the Duchess of Cambridge after two hours sleep was particularly surreal!"
WATCH: Kate Middleton surprises new parents on video call hours after baby born
Home schooling
Eldest children Prince George and Princess Charlotte are both pupils at Thomas's School in Battersea, and Kate and William have since taken on the role of home schooling during the coronavirus pandemic. During an appearance on BBC Breakfast, Kate revealed that the couple had even kept the children in the dark about the Easter holidays, as they continued with lessons. "Don't tell the children," said Kate. "I feel very mean."
Prince George and Princess Charlotte are pupils at Thomas's School in Battersea
In honour of VE Day, the children were also asked by their teachers to learn Dame Vera Lynn's famous wartime anthem. Kate said, "The school has set all the children a challenge and they're currently trying to learn the lyrics to the song We'll Meet Again… So it's been really lovely having that playing every day."
Kate launched her photography project
The Duchess of Cambridge launched a competition in collaboration with one of her patronages, the National Portrait Gallery, in which she invited people to submit photos they have taken during the lockdown. She named it Hold Still, and hopes it will capture the spirit, mood, hopes, fears and feelings of the nation in the pandemic.
Kate discussed her photography competition on This Morning
"We've all been struck by some of the incredible images we've seen," said Kate. "Some desperately sad images showing the human tragedy of this pandemic, and other uplifting pictures showing people coming together." Submissions are still open until 18 June 2020 via www.npg.org.uk.
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