Kate Middleton is keen on raising her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, in a happy and safe environment like the one she grew up in. The Duchess of Cambridge opened up about motherhood on the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast. During the interview, airing February 15, host Giovanna Fletcher asked the royal mom of three what parts of her childhood she’d like to give her own children, to which Kate replied, “If I take the experience from my own childhood, coupled with what I know now and what I’ve learnt from the experts in the Early Years sector, I think there’s a few things that really stand out for me,” adding, “One is quality of relationships. So, those moments that you spend with people that are around you. I remember that from my own childhood.”

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One person who the Duchess has fond memories of from her younger years is her grandmother. Kate recalled, “I had an amazing Granny who devoted a lot of time to us, playing with us, doing arts and crafts and going to the greenhouse to do gardening, and cooking with us, and I try and incorporate a lot of the experiences that she gave us at the time into the experiences that I give my children now.”

She continued, “There are also the environments you spend time in as well: a happy home, a safe environment. As children, we spent a lot of time outside and it’s something I’m really passionate about. I think it’s so great for physical and mental wellbeing and laying [developmental] foundations. It’s such a great environment to spend time in, building those quality relationships without the distractions of ‘I’ve got to cook’ and ‘I’ve got to do this’. And actually, it’s so simple.”

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Kate sat down for her first ever podcast interview to discuss her passion for the early years and her landmark survey “5 Big Questions on the Under Fives.” The online survey that launched last month aims to spark a conversation in the UK about the early years that will help bring about positive, lasting change for generations to come. While on the podcast, Kate said, “What we’re doing with the survey is asking people – what is it that matters for them in raising their children today.”

The Duchess added, “It’s going to take a long time – I’m talking about a generational change – but hopefully this is the first small step: to start a conversation around the importance of Early Childhood development. It’s not just about happy, healthy children. This is for lifelong consequences and outcomes.”