Kate Middleton As A Mom: Makeup Free, Dressed In Gym Clothes & 'Apologizing' For Running Late

It’s easy to forget that Kate Middleton was just a normal person before she met Prince William and became part of the royal family. So, what is the 38-year-old really like behind closed doors? 

For one, Middleton is “a very confident mom,” a friend told PEOPLE. “She’s no pushover. The children get told off if they act up.” 

The brunette beauty — who shares Prince George, 7, Princess Charlotte, 5, and Prince Louis, 2, with William, 38 — is “very chilled at home,” the source said, adding that she lives a very “normal and busy” life “with kids running around and knocking things over.” 

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Despite being in the public eye, the mom of three is doing everything in her power so that her children are grounded and “keep their reality check,” the pal revealed. “That’s what really matters to her.” 

When Middleton drops her kiddos off at school, she looks just like everyone else! “There are no blow-dries — it’s always hair up in a ponytail,” the insider shared. “She’s either in her gym clothes, or a dress and sneakers, very little makeup, apologizing as she’s late for the school run before dashing off. It’s the life of a working mom with three young children — just a different sort of day job to most.” 

Now that Middleton and Prince William have their hands full with three kids, their date nights are different than when they were younger. “They were talking about home life and the children — just like any other parents on a night out,” a local revealed. “You were just struck by what a normal lovely couple they are.” 

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Middleton is lucky that her parents and her nanny, Maria Turrion Borrallo, are around to help her out when she has other obligations to tend to. “If you look at the people around her, it’s a tight team,” a source divulged. “She would be lost without Maria, Tash and everyone. They work very hard, but they make it possible for Kate to juggle everything.” 

As OK! previously reported, Middleton and her hubby seem much more at ease ever since Meghan Markle and Prince Harry moved to the United States. "I think there’s been a big change since Harry and Meghan have gone that they feel more relaxed,” royal biographer Angela Levin said. “Maybe not under attack and they feel very much like a team, you can feel that.”

At the end of the day, “Kate is living the life that she talks about.”