Prince William and Kate are opening up about what it's like following stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic and homeschooling their three children.
“Yeah, homeschooling is fun,” William said with a laugh, in a new interview with BBC.
“But don’t tell the children we’ve actually kept it going through the holidays,” Kate added, referring to school holidays in the U.K. “I feel very mean.”
William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, are the parents of Prince George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 4, and Prince Louis, who will turn 2 next week.
George and Charlotte both attend Thomas's Battersea, a private school in London that switched to virtual learning last month, at the same time that U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered all schools in the country closed until further notice.
"The children have got such stamina, I don’t know how, honestly," said Kate. "You get to the end of the day, you write down all the list of the things you’ve done in that day, you sort of pitch a tent, take the tent down again, cook, bake, you get to the end of the day, they’ve had a lovely time, but it is amazing how much you can cram into one day, that’s for sure."
William and Kate held a video call earlier this month with teachers and students at Casterton Primary Academy, a school in East Lancashire, to thank the teachers for all the work they are doing to keep educating students during the pandemic.
MORE: Prince William, Kate thank school teachers for working during coronavirus pandemicIn their new interview with the BBC, the Cambridges took time to also thank the health care workers and all first responders who are helping save lives during the pandemic. William and Kate, who have made mental health a focus of their royal work, also spoke about the psychological toll the pandemic may be taking for those working on the front lines.
"The NHS [National Health Service] and the front line workers are doing the most extraordinary jobs," said Kate. "And I think it’s going to dramatically change how we all value and see our front line workers."
“The experiences that front line workers are going through now is like nothing that anyone has ever seen,” added William. “I would believe that a lot of them are getting on with the job and making us all very proud by how they’re just, their stoicism and their determination to beat this.”
“A lot of them are putting their lives and their health on the line for all of us and I think that is coming across and the nation is appreciating and understanding the sacrifices that many of these people are making," he said. "But I’ve also been hearing that there are those who are working in the NHS who understandably are nervous, are anxious and this hero tag that we’re attaching to the NHS workers, albeit is totally valid, we’ve got to be careful we don’t alienate some of the other NHS workers who do really genuinely worry and are scared going to work every single day."
MORE: Changing of the Guard postponed at UK palaces due to coronavirusLast month, William and Kate shared a video of George, Charlotte and Louis cheering for the health care workers. The pair also made an in-person visit to first responders before stay-at-home orders were put in place in the U.K.
William and Kate also spoke about the mental health of the general population who are following stay-at-home orders and encouraged people to reach out for support.
"While [physical health] is hugely important we mustn't forget our mental well-being as well and making sure you're reaching out to those people around you that you have access to, even if it's over the phone or online to really make sure you have those conversations," said Kate.
"It's important that other people aren't forgotten and those who do need help, and do need support, and haven't necessarily ever had to think about their mental well-being, start to do that in this weird climate we're in," said William.
William revealed he felt anxious when his father, Prince Charles, tested positive for COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, and said their family, like families around the world, has been keeping in touch with online video calls.
"It gets a bit hectic, I'm not going to lie, with a 2-year-old you have to take the phone away," said Kate. "It's quite hectic for them all to say the right thing at the right time without pressing the wrong buttons, but it's great and it's nice to keep in touch with everybody."