Following In Princess Diana's Footsteps Was Harder For Kate Middleton Than We Knew

Catherine, Princess of Wales, had some pretty big shoes to fill when she became a royal family member. In British journalist Robert Jobson's book, "Catherine, The Princess of Wales," he wrote that Kate Middleton knew there would come a time when she would have to adopt the title of Princess of Wales. Of course, the last person who held that prestigious title was her would-be mother-in-law, the beloved Diana, Princess of Wales, so Kate naturally had reservations about being the next in line for the title. 

"She knew she'd inevitably be compared with Diana, whose untimely death had provoked such a tsunami of anger and grief," Jobson explained, adding, "And she was right. The similarities and differences between the two women were dissected ad infinitum, and even discussed in the royal household" (via InStyle). Hearing so many people compare her to her mother-in-law was undoubtedly hard for Kate, and she believed that she would take a page out of Queen Camilla's book and adopt a different title altogether. 

After Camila's initiation into the royal family, she should have ideally taken over Diana's title, but she instead came to be known by the lesser title Duchess of Cornwall. However, as we all know, Kate didn't go down the same route. According to Jobson, she began to see the title as "palatable" as the years went by. Furthermore, Kate believed that her accomplishments in the public eye were enough to differentiate her from Diana. So, after King Charles III's ascension in 2022, Kate officially became the Princess of Wales.

After Catherine, Princess of Wales and William, Prince of Wales, announced their engagement in 2010, they sat down for a chat with ITV, where the interviewer asked about her feelings about following in Diana, Princess of Wales' footsteps. Though the pair appeared uncomfortable at the question, Kate Middleton marched on and answered, "Obviously, I would love to have met her." She awkwardly added, "She's obviously an inspirational woman to look up to this day [...] It's a wonderful family. The members who I've met have achieved a lot and are very inspirational." 

Meanwhile, William defended his wife by asserting that she wasn't trying to be the next Princess Diana and aimed to create her own place in people's hearts. The Prince of Wales also stated that he waited a while to lock things down with Kate because he wanted to be absolutely certain that she wouldn't be gravely affected by fame like his mother. However, once they were ready, William popped the question with Diana's engagement ring, which was a perfect fit for Kate. 

But before Prince William married Kate, he reportedly promised her parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, that he would always protect her. Unfortunately, that promise got harder to keep in 2024 as Kate took a prolonged break from the public eye amidst her cancer diagnosis. Before the royal announced her diagnosis, social media users theorized that she was keeping a low profile because she was dealing with similar struggles as Diana.

During Catherine, Princess of Wales' break from the public eye, some social media users theorized that William, Prince of Wales, had cheated on her with Rose Hanbury, and she was privately reeling from the end of their marriage. Of course, it didn't take people long to believe that history was repeating itself and Kate Middleton was fighting a mental health battle similar to the one Diana, Princess of Wales, did after learning of King Charles III's infidelity with Queen Camilla. 

While William remained tight-lipped through the wild controversy theories, a Sunday Times Royal Editor, Roya Nikkhah, offered insight into how he may have felt at the time. As reported by Tatler, Nikkah proclaimed, "I think for him, having seen his mother go through quite a lot of that, the hounding of his mother...I think he feels he's seeing elements of that being repeated again in terms of the demands and scrutiny over his wife, over her medical privacy. That's hurting him.'

But despite all the good and bad that comes from her ties to Diana, it's safe to say that Kate has always held her in high regard. Over the years, we have seen her pay tribute to Princess Diana by effortlessly channeling her iconic style. In fact, even her breathtaking earrings at her coronation in 2023 once belonged to her mother-in-law. Additionally, Kate once told a greeter that Diana would've made a phenomenal grandmother and everyone in the family deeply felt her absence.