Kate Middleton Has More Power In The Royal Family Than You Might Realize

When Princess Catherine started dating Prince William, few thought the college romance would end in marriage. Now, she's the queen-in-waiting and raising the future king of England. Catherine went from being a middle-class woman to one of the most renowned royals in the world, and as the years wore on, her influence within the British monarchy — and the world — only grew.

There are whispers that few understand the profound impact the Princess of Wales has on the British royal family. In Robert Jobson's 2024 royal biography "Catherine, The Princess of Wales," the future queen's influence is discussed thoroughly. If insiders who spoke to Jobson are to be believed, Catherine is the reason Prince William's relationship with King Charles III hasn't gone the same route as Prince Harry's. "[Catherine has] smoothed the way for William and his father to have a better relationship than they had in the past," Jobson wrote. Apparently, William has held somewhat of a grudge against his father for favoring his work over his family in the past, but Catherine, ever the diplomat, has managed to get Willam to see things through his fathers eyes. "[She] is somebody who always tries to see both sides of any dispute," an insider told Jobson.

Her cool head and emotional maturity have made Catherine a pillar of strength within the royal family, and if you're curious just how much influence she has within the firm, you, dear reader, are in the right place.

While most would only be too happy to join a family of royals, Princess Catherine didn't go into it completely blind. While she was pregnant with Princess Charlotte in 2015 and had found her feet within the royal family, she set out some ground rules, perhaps because she realized at this point how easily royal life could suck you in.

In his book, "Catherine, The Princess of Wales," Robert Jobson writes that the princess had started to realize she needed some more time to learn how to balance being a mother with her royal duties, and presented some of her ground rules to Queen Elizabeth II and then-Prince Charles. "She wouldn't be pigeon-holed into carrying out particular duties and insisted on eventually having her full quota of maternity leave, away from the glare of the media and public," Jobson wrote. Catherine didn't want her entire life to be ruled by her royal duties; she also wanted space to have a personal life and be there for her husband and kids. Furthermore, she requested that the causes she supports be of personal interest and share her core values.

Being a mother is tough on the best of days, but Princess Catherine has the added pressure of knowing she's raising Prince George to become king. According to royal biographer Angela Levin, the Princess of Wales is all too aware of this big responsibility. "Kate's a very confident mother. But even so, she's acutely aware of the pressure of raising George as the future monarch. It's a very heavy burden to carry," she told OK! Royal expert Camilla Tominey also spoken on the subject, explaining that, thanks to her son's position within the royal family, Catherine is, by all counts, the most powerful member of the firm. What she teaches young George will shape him into the adult he'll one day become and influence the decisions he'll make once he's king.

Catherine and Prince William told George about his destiny when he turned 7, Robert Lacey claimed in his book, "Battle of Brothers: William and Harry — the Inside Story of a Family in Tumult." William and Catherine are trying not to make the knowledge of his future responsibilities too burdensome on George and are actively trying to ensure he has as normal a childhood as possible. Catherine is known for spending a lot of quality time with her kids — she didn't even want to hire a nanny when George was born and only relented after realizing that doing everything on her own while juggling her royal duties was impossible.

It doesn't take an expert to know that having a great relationship with the media gives you incredible power, and the Princess of Wales understands this better than anyone. Since her entrance into royal life, Princess Catherine has nurtured her relationship with the British press, giving them just enough rope to keep them off her back, leading to favorable coverage. For instance, she's provided the media with pictures of her children on their birthdays, and in turn, the paparazzi leaves them alone when the family is spending time in public. Royal expert Camilla Tominey once wrote in a piece for The Telegraph that Catherine managed the rare feat of killing the market for paparazzi shots by providing the press with candid snaps of her own. In a Channel 5 documentary, journalist Afua Hagan praised Catherine's ability to control the press narrative. Hagan said that Catherine understands the interest in her family and that it won't ever go away, so she sought ways to ensure the type of coverage they receive is mostly favorable.

This stands in stark contrast to how Prince Harry and Meghan Markle handled their own media coverage. In trying to keep the press off their backs by being scrupulously private, they only created more interest, which gave the paparazzi more power. Catherine, on the other hand, has managed to maintain the upper hand with some compromise, and so far, it's worked really well.

As Queen Elizabeth II's health problems increased, Princess Catherine's influence within the royal family became more apparent, and the public really started to notice it when Catherine took Her Majesty's place on the balcony during the 2021 Remembrance Sunday service.

Queen Elizabeth II was set to attend the event, which would have been her first public appearance after she was hospitalized, but the monarch sprained her back and ended up being unable to attend. What was significant was that Catherine took the queen's usual spot at the center of the balcony, with Camilla, Queen Consort, and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, on either side of her. This trend has continued after the queen's death, despite Camilla being the current queen. "She [Catherine] is a very strong character who has transitioned from being a young bride to being a key player within the royal family," True Royalty TV co-founder Nick Bullen told Fox News Digital. "If you look at all the photographs now, she's always front and center."

Bullen explained that Catherine has fully transitioned into her role as the Princess of Wales and that she has managed to embody her role as the future queen. "This hasn't happened by accident. She is a clever, smart, determined woman. And I'm told by people who work at the various palaces that she is quite literally the power behind the throne," Bullen said.

True Royalty TV co-founder Nick Bullen has dubbed Princess Catherine a "branding superpower," and indeed, pundits have been obsessed with her style ever since she entered the royal fold. Catherine's chic, effortless, and relatable style has been dubbed the "Kate Effect," and Bullen told Fox News Digital it all started when she showed up in a blue wrap dress for engagement photographs. Now, when Catherine wears something, the item sells out instantly.

Catherine's influence has grown past everyday people's fashion choices over the years. "Our audience is now as interested in hearing what she has to say as what she's wearing," Grazia editor Hattie Brett told The Guardian, adding that Catherine's choice to re-wear some of her favorite pieces makes her seem in touch with reality and the public's environmental concerns. Royal commentator and host of the "Art of History Podcast," Amanda Matta, agrees. "I definitely believe that Kate's public popularity gives her some soft power within the royal family," Matta told The List exclusively. "Whenever she lends her image or her voice to a cause, there is sure to be increased public interest."

Catherine has also been pretty open about her experiences as a mother and has championed causes that help parents make the best decisions for their children. Blogger Carly Whitewood even said that Catherine had been a great parenting example, telling The Guardian, "I'd say it's influenced how I parent."

It might be safe to say that Princess Catherine is the future face of the monarchy. Sure, Prince William will one day become king, but there's no denying the influence and popularity of the Princess of Wales. Because of her middle-class background and connection with the younger generation, Catherine is in a unique position to keep the monarchy relevant. For instance, she wanted to invite some of her staff to King Charles III's coronation ceremony, and despite the palace going to great lengths to keep things "small," Catherine was granted extra invitations, something insiders told The Telegraph was a sign of her growing influence in the firm. It also made her appear appreciative of her team, something you don't usually see from royal family members in such a public manner.

Then there's the way Catherine is raising her three kids — she isn't shy to make public appearances with the three young royals in tow, and there's nothing pundits love more than seeing little royals traipsing around. Experts say that this is doing wonders for the monarchy's image, and indeed, when Catherine comforted a distraught child while making a surprise visit to Windsor in 2023 ahead of the Coronation Concert, it made headlines.

One also cannot overlook the fact that Princess Catherine filmed her cancer announcement video solo or that she chose to share such devastating news with the public in video format instead of releasing a statement as King Charles III did.

Princess Catherine's influence within the royal family extends far beyond her own power. It might be easy to forget that she has the ear of both the current and future king, and word on the street is that King Charles III adores his daughter-in-law. Apparently, Catherine is pretty good at keeping both Charles and Prince William's short tempers in check. The Telegraph has compared Catherine to the late Queen Elizabeth II, who excelled at keeping the peace and tempering the hot-headed members of the family. It's said that Catherine has a gift for keeping a cool head in the most trying situations, and her calming energy has apparently helped cool William's fiery temper on more than one occasion.

While Catherine is good at playing the diplomat, royal experts say she's aware of her power and uses it to champion the things she believes in. "She has this public image of being nice and smiley and, dare I say, innocuous," royal author Valentine Low told People. "But she is actually strong-minded, strong-willed and prepared to fight for what she wants and what she thinks is right." Simon Lewis, a former Buckingham Palace employee, says Catherine's influence within the monarchy has grown significantly since the queen's death. "She's very much seen as a player at the center of team Windsor," Lewis told People.

If royal authors and experts are to be believed, Princess Catherine is the very definition of calm and collected behind the scenes. She's also a wiz at drafting palace statements when things go pear-shaped, which, over the last couple of years, has happened more often than the monarchy would have liked.

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sat down for a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, very damaging things were said, one of which was that there was concern among some family members about what color Prince Archie's skin would be. The queen, who usually remained mum on scathing media coverage, released a statement after the bombshell interview, and it contained a strategic phrase meant to give people some pause as to whether Harry and Meghan's statements were all accurate and unbiased. The phrase, "some recollections may vary," was apparently Catherine's idea. "She thought it was very important this did not go unchallenged," Valentine Low wrote in the book, "Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown." "Kate thinks strategically. She is going to be queen one day and has the long term interests of the monarchy and royal family at heart."

Catherine also drafted her own cancer announcement. "It was all her, she wrote every word of it, it came together very quickly," a friend of Catherine's told The Standard.

In 2024, Ipsos revealed that its polls showed Princess Catherine as the most popular member of the royal family. Royal expert Katie Nicholl said in the documentary "Kate: The Making of a Future Queen," that Catherine's ever-increasing royal duties over the years has made her more familiar to the public, especially after she started taking on some more work when Queen Elizabeth II's health started to decline. "We are seeing a Queen in waiting," Nicholl said. 

Speaking to "60 Minutes Australia," Nicholl added, "I think that the public got to see more of the true duchess than they've ever been able to see before." In the documentary interview, Nicholl explained that Catherine becoming more popular among the public was a calculated move. "[This is] very much a part of the palace machine bringing her from the shadows of Anmer Hall into the forefront, into the spotlight, because they're very clever," she said.

Catherine's popularity became evident when she took a break from public duties after undergoing surgery in January 2024. When she failed to emerge from behind the palace walls for three months, a media frenzy unlike any the royal family has ever experienced ensued. Clearly, the public can no longer imagine life without her.

There's no denying it — out of all the royal family members, Princess Catherine is arguably the most relatable. This is a great feat, given that many royals have tried to be relatable before only to have their attempts backfire. The reason Catherine is so good at being relatable is probably because she had an ordinary, middle-class upbringing, which means she can connect to the everyday person in a way other members of the family who grew up behind palace walls cannot. "The Princess of Wales has always had a unique, separate relationship with the public, outside of her role within the royal family," royal expert Christine Ross told The Standard. "This special, personal connection with the people has made her stand out amongst other members of the royal family." Even those who have worked alongside Catherine behind the palace walls can't praise her down-to-earth, no-nonsense attitude enough.

Catherine appears to be aware that she's in a unique position to connect with the public, and it's said that this is one of the reasons she filmed her cancer announcement instead of simply releasing a statement, which admittedly would have been a lot easier for her. A friend of the princess told The Standard that Catherine wanted to share her diagnosis in this way because she wanted to connect with the public and inspire hope.

One cannot deny the stark contrast between the reactions to Princess Catherine and King Charles III's cancer diagnoses. When Charles announced his diagnosis, he was met with an outpouring of well-wishes. Catherine's cancer announcement, however, momentarily left the world silent and in utter shock. The public reaction told the palace all it needed to know — Catherine had become its most valuable member.

When Catherine failed to make an appearance for several months after undergoing unspecified abdominal surgery in January 2024, pundits and the press started getting uneasy. Questions about her whereabouts started swirling on the internet, and soon, calls for information about Catherine's wellbeing were so loud it became impossible for the palace to ignore.

For a few weeks, the princess was all the world could talk about. Never before has such a PR crisis erupted as the result of a royal family member taking some time off. Conspiracy theories abounded, and even some celebrities weighed in with their own two cents on "KateGate." When Catherine finally announced that she had cancer, the conspiracy beast was cowed, and those who were shouting their displeasure about her absence quietly changed their tune and wished her well instead.

It might be safe to say that the future of the monarchy rests on Princess Catherine's shoulders. After Queen Elizabeth II's death, many pundits wondered what her passing meant for the future of the royal family. King Charles III did not enjoy the same popularity as his mother and has even been subjected to some heckling from protestors chanting, "Not my king!" CNN's polls also indicated that the monarchy's popularity is facing a steady decline, but there's hope that Princess Catherine might be able to revive it.

Speaking to The List, royal commentator and host of the "Art of History Podcast," Amanda Matta pointed out that Queen Elizabeth's death dealt a blow to the monarchy's image. People loved and respected her, but with her gone, not much love for the institution itself remained. Catherine, however, can possibly salvage this and fill the queen's shoes. "Many people today have also come to strongly associate Kate with the monarchy — especially during triumphant occasions like the Coronation and State Visits," Matta explained. "If she can sustain these positive associations and secure a place in people's hearts (similar to the late queen), she will undoubtedly aid in pushing the monarchy forward."