During a low-key outing at her local Sainsbury’s supermarket near her country home in Norfolk last March (just before the start of the COVID-19 lockdown),Kate Middletoncould have been mistaken for any other busy parent.
As she walked through the aisles with 2-year-oldPrince Louisin her arms andPrince George, 7, andPrincess Charlotte, 5, happily walking alongside her, she picked up a surprising item: an enchilada dinner kit!
“You wouldn’t have thought anything different about her,” local momKate CartertellsPEOPLE in this week’s cover story.
“It was just a normal shopping day out. The kids weren’t playing up, they weren’t misbehaving. It was all so normal—but she’s not normal!” she adds.

Prince William and Kate Middleton.Jonathan Buckmaster - Pool/Getty

The under-the-radar outing offered a rare glimpse behind the royal curtain of the future Queen. Shopping for an at-home Mexican night for husbandPrince Williamand the kids “is very much her,” says a source close to the royal household.
“Even if she were married to a banker, I don’t think she would be much different. She would have wanted to be a country mom and be in town occasionally. I don’t think she would have been living a very different life,” the source adds.
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Prince Louis, Kate Middleton, Princess Charlotte and Prince George.Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty

Before Kate married William and became a royal, she had the comfort of a happy upbringing — and she wants the same for her own children. Betweenlaid-back family vacations, casualtrips to the storewith mom andoutings with their grandparents, Carole and Mike Middleton, Kate’s own real-world childhood is at the heart of her parenting approach.
“That’s something that was incredibly important to both her and William,” says a well-placed insider. “They have worked hard to make it as normal as possible despite their extraordinary situation.”
source: people.com