Duchess Kate gives poignant speech: Mentions the 'ignorance' and 'lack of confidence' she has felt about motherhood

The Duchess of Cambridge spoke at an event for a British charity today, giving a touching and poignant speech about motherhood, its joys, and also its struggles. She spoke for quite a bit longer than her typical speech, and certainly opened up about some of the difficulties she has faced in her own experience as a mother.

To start, Kate opened her speech with a comment on yesterday's terror attack in London, saying: "Before I begin, I know you would all want to join me in sending our thoughts and prayers to all those sadly affected by yesterday's terrible attack in Westminster. We will be thinking of all the families, as we discuss the important issues we're here to talk about."

See also: Kate Middleton's secret style weapon to always look elegant

She went on to acknowledge that she has more help and support at home than most mothers do -- likely referring to Prince George and Princess Charlotte's nanny, Maria Borrallo -- but that parenting is still a challenge.

In an event leading up to Mother's Day (which is March 26th in the UK), the Duchess spoke to the complete change that happens when a woman becomes a mother -- and the fear, too. "There is no rule book," Kate said, "no right or wrong - you just have to make it up and do the very best you can to care for your family. For many mothers, myself included, this can, at times lead to lack of confidence and feelings of ignorance."

The royal mom of two is continuing her efforts to de-stigmatize mental health issues, and this includes new mothers who are struggling not just with postpartum depression (which affects 2 in 10 women) but also feelings of uncertainty, nerves and pressure to be the "perfect mom."

She had a sweet moment with fellow young families, and made a funny comment about Prince George, which you can see below:

The Duchess re-wore a familiar outfit for her event today, a retro-inspired pink and white checked skirt and top by Eponine London. She first wore it about a year ago while attending an event with Prince William, pairing it with black accessories, whereas this time she chose her nude suede Gianvito Rossi pumps and clutch by LK Bennett (seen here in gold).

The Duchess likely chose this outfit for a few reasons -- first, it's lovely and by a British designer, but it's also not a new outfit, so would draw less attention to what she's wearing and more to what she's saying and the cause she's supporting. She's also made the choice recently to opt more for suits than dresses or coats. Is this an effort of Kate's to have an even more professional work "uniform"? We've always felt she dresses professionally (and beautifully!) but this definite shift in what she's choosing may say that she's ready for a wardrobe shift.

See Kate's new professional uniform below:

You can read Kate's full speech on the Daily Mail, and watch above for more.

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