Let’s take a moment to celebrate Kate’s great approach, writes ANGELA MOLLARD
ON Thursday, the Duchess of Cambridge celebrated her 38th birthday.
It barely rated a mention as a reliable wife and mother chalking up another year is not news compared with her sister-in-law going rogue.
But if Meghan and Harry’s announcement that they were quitting their posts has destabilised the monarchy, the Queen should’ve counted her blessings and sent a monster bouquet of flowers to Kate.
For while this particular birthday may be unremarkable it underscores how Catherine Elizabeth Middleton has grown into the woman Princess Diana could have been.
While Diana’s last decade before her death, aged 36, was mired in drama and dastardliness between her and the husband she’d grown to loathe, Kate has spent the last 10 years transforming from nervous bride-to-be into the royal family’s greatest asset.
Unlike Diana, who as a shy ingenue was shepherded down the aisle with regrettable haste, and Meghan, who was heralded as “woke” innovator, Kate spent nearly a decade trying on royal life for size.
She was less than thrilled when William broke up with her in 2007, six years into their relationship, but it turned out to be a genius move for the both of them.
She has subsequently said she learned things about herself during that period and when they reunited it came with a quiet commitment that they would eventually marry.
Having been dubbed “Waity Katie” in her 20s, she hit her stride in her mid-30s, with a strong sense of self.
She knows exactly how she wants to parent, informed by her own sporty, fun-loving, country childhood, yet she’s also intent on investing in her marriage. Any number of chefs can provide meals for the family but she still insists on cooking some of her husband’s favourite dishes. She also wants their lives to be meaningful beyond the constant pressure of public duty and to that end she and her children compiled a scrapbook of family photos and handmade pictures for William’s birthday last year.
But her newest – and greatest – accessory is her smile. Because a year short of her 10th wedding anniversary, Kate is clearly happier than she’s ever been. She was laughing her head off in a sailing contest on the Isle of Wight in August, beaming with delight at Trooping the Colour in June and in hysterics trying her hand at archery in Bhutan.
Ironically, while Diana – and potentially, Meghan – never experienced Kate’s contentment, she may in some small way be responsible for it. Having seen his mother so unhappy, William took enormous care in choosing a partner who would cope with the constant scrutiny of royal life. That Kate has not just survived but thrived is testament to both of them.