Superstar couple outshines celebs
If you brought Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe back to life America wouldn’t be more excited than they are by the presence of the Cambridges
WHEN William brought Catherine and George to Australia in 2014, in an almost mirror image of the tour he had made at nine months with his parents, it provided almost poetic symmetry.
The young royals embodied the family life that Diana had so craved and their rapport, sense of fun and openness with everyone they met showed that a new era of royals was here.
William and Harry, in no small part thanks to the grounding and training of Diana, have endeared themselves to the nation with their compassion and desire to help in times of trouble.
Prince William visited Victorian bushfire victims in 2010, and the following year he flew in to inspect damage from the Queensland and Victorian floods, as well as the Christchurch earthquake.
He and Catherine also made time in their tour to visit bushfire victims in the Blue Mountains.
“In an era when royalty and celebrity began to merge, visits like this to bushfire victims show there is still a significant difference between the two,” historian Jane Connors said.
“Nobody really cares if a Hollywood actor comes to see you after your house has burned down, but for many people, the acknowledgement and sympathy of the Royal Family, on behalf of the nation, is still very real and very important.”
It isn’t just Australia and New Zealand so enamoured – William and Catherine also took the US and Canada by storm.
In fact, not since their mother two decades before had so much interest been shown in members of the Royal Family.
When William and Catherine visited Canada and the US on a tour shortly after their wedding in 2011, they were treated like rock stars rather than royalty.
The couple were happy and relaxed, posed in cowboy hats and planted a tree next to the one Charles and Diana had planted in 1983.
But it was at a BAFTA party in LA that it was clear this couple had something special, with A-listers queuing to meet them.
“If you brought Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe back to life America wouldn’t be more excited than they are by the presence of the Cambridges,” guest Stephen Fry said.
“They are real superstars now,” added David Beckham.