Viewers praise 'relatable' Duchess of Cambridge as she discusses homeschooling three young royals in television interview

The Duchess of Cambridge has won praise after discussing the realities of homeschooling in lockdown during a TV interview on This Morning.

Kate and host Holly Willoughby bonded over the difficulties of each keeping three children occupied with their school work as they turn teacher.

Kate, 38, said: “George gets very upset because he wants to do Charlotte’s projects! Like making spider sandwiches - it’s far cooler than doing literacy work.”

Kate was on the show to talk about her new photography project, Hold Still, which she has launched with the National Portrait Gallery.

The project aims to capture life in lockdown, through the people staying at home and those working to keep the country going.

As an amateur photographer herself who regularly treats royal fans to pictures she has taken of her children, including recent images of Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis on their birthdays.

Read more: Duchess of Cambridge asks nation to send her their lockdown photographs as part of coronavirus pandemic project

Laughing about the Instagram vs Reality pictures of Louis, covered in rainbow paint, she said: “I should have taken a photograph of what I looked like after that!

“Luckily that wasn’t documented, but I pretty much looked like Louis at the end!”

She also discussed the pictures taken of Charlotte as she turned five, helping deliver food parcels to vulnerable pensioners in the Sandringham area.

Kate said: “This was part of a collection which I took particularly of Charlotte to tell a story, and that’s what we hope people will take inspiration through this project, is to tell their part of a story from a personal level to try and help showcase and share what they are going through.”

Read more: How the royals tackle parenting

Talking about her children dealing with the new normal, one of the projects themes, she said: “It’s really hard and we hadn’t done a huge amount of face time or calls before but we are doing that a lot more now.

“We try to check in daily with family members, and speak to them about news, and things like that so in some ways we have more face time and contact with them than we would before.

“But it’s hard to explain to a five, and a six, nearly seven-year-old, what’s going on. But, the schools have been great in supporting them so we have the support.”

The duchess’s interview won praise from fans online, who said she was relatable and down to earth.

One said: “She truly is everything you would want a princess and a representive [sic] of our country to be. What an amazing new project she is launching too!”

Another called her a “fabulous human being”.

Explaining the photography project, Kate said she hopes to document and share “a moment in time which we are all experiencing”.

The three categories of the project include one called Helpers and Heroes, and she said: “We have all been struck by the images which have come out, we are going through some desperately sad times and those working on the frontline are showcasing the hardship that they are going through and some of the tragedy they are witnessing.

“It’s for all those in communities and front lines, showing their amazing dedication in the pandemic.”

The duchess has been particularly struck by some of the images of coronavirus times, including one of great-grandparents holding out their hands to their great-grandchildren on the other side of window.

She was also touched by an image of a nurse showing the red marks and bruising on her face caused by wearing personal protective equipment during a 13-hour shift, which she called “harrowing”.

She said: “These are the sorts of things not everyone at home is going to witness, but it’s really important for everyone at home to see these images, to showcase what some of those on the frontline are really experiencing.”

Colonel Tom Moore is one of those she thought of as an example.

Speaking about the grandparents’ image she said: “Moments like this are really heartwarming to see - there is connection there, it’s a new normal but those moments can take place.

“It really resonated with me that photograph.”

The project is taking submissions from anyone in the UK of any age, and Kate will sit on the panel alongside others from the gallery to curate the entries.

Read more: Princess Charlotte delivers handmade pasta to pensioners in new birthday photographs

She said: “I hope schools will take this on as a school project, everyone and anyone at home. There’s lots of images of clinical settings and community spirit but there’s not much of what people are experiencing back home and in isolation in their own homes.

“Life has changed totally for all of us. To see what people are living through and going through would be great.

“What I’m drawn to is people and telling the human side of this I think we are all connected to this and being able to show case portraits of this and collate a portrait of the nation at this difficult time is what inspired me, to connect everyone at a human level, and show our experiences.”

The team will pick 100 photos which will be chosen on the basis of the emotion portrayed, not the skill of the photographer or quality of the equipment.

The project is open from Thursday until 18 June. The 100 images will form a virtual exhibition which will tour the UK.