Editor’s letter:

from the desk of Michele Crawshaw

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” – Mae West

WHEN WE were working on this month’s cover we trawled through hundreds of images of the Duchess of Cambridge. That’s really not too onerous a task when you’re talking about the photogenically gifted Kate. She rarely takes a bad photo. But what struck us more than the beautiful posture, the gorgeous gowns and the glossy hair was that smile.

For too many years the royal family was bound by the old traditions – a serious composure, few public displays of affection, the famous stiff upper lip. To many they were inaccessible, disconnected.

Thank goodness for Diana, Princess of Wales, who, when she married into the Windsor family in 1981, changed all of that. Swiftly dubbed The People’s Princess, she brought charm and the common touch, making the royals seem truly relatable for the first time.

Kate owes much to the mother-in-law she never had the chance to meet. William has been determined his wife not be put under such intense pressure as Diana was, and she has been given a “safer passage” into the royal family with coaching and a freer reign.

It helps that Kate has a natural easiness about her. She shines in her royal duties, and is a dedicated advocate, alongside Prince William and Prince Harry, for children’s mental health. Small things, such as her decision with William to release intimate family snaps on George and Charlotte’s birthdays – rather than those traditionally taken by the official royal photographer – prove her more down-toearth nature. Well, as down to earth as you can be as the future Queen of England.

Destiny is calling though. With Queen Elizabeth stepping back from some of her royal duties (fair enough, given she turns 91 in June), Kate and William are moving from their rural idyll of Anmer Hall in Norfolk to Kensington Palace in London to take on more official work.

They have both previously been criticised for not undertaking enough royal engagements, but recently the energetic, enchanting Duchess of Cambridge has more than proven that she is up to the task.

With the increase in her royal duties, the relocation to London and little George starting prep school in September, plus the possibility of wedding bells for her brotherin-law Prince Harry, there is a huge amount of change ahead for Kate this year. How well she handles her royal rise will likely depend on the ongoing support she is given from the palace.

Royal writer William Langley explores the milestone year ahead for Kate in this month’s cover story on page 22 and takes us behind the scenes of the making of a modern queen.

Michele Crawshaw, EDITOR

mcrawshaw@bauermedia.co.nz