Monarchy wary of repeating past mistakes with Kate
Marriage repairing dysfunctional view of Diana’s royal role
Ayear into her life as a royal, it’s become clear the Duchess of Cambridge — Kate, to most Canadians — is no Princess Diana. And experts on the monarchy couldn’t be more pleased.
That is, where Prince William’s mother claimed to have felt isolated, unsupported and overwhelmed, his bride has been embraced by her new family, mentored in her duties, and seems a natural in her new role.
Lynne Bell, a noted Canadian royal-watcher, credits the enormous pressure on the House of Windsor to not let history repeat itself.
“I would think the royals are very, very conscious of things that have happened in the past. It’s probably safe to say they need this relationship to work,” says Bell, who for nearly 20 years has been covering royal tours in Canada. “The great thing is that they can learn from previous mistakes.”
Diana’s life as a princess was, by her own account, lonely and regimented, with a friend once describing the princess’s temperament as that of “a wounded trapped animal,” a dark reality belied by her luminous public image. Although Kate has likewise been the picture of vibrancy, her welcome by the royal family does nothing to suggest she’s suffering from the same private hell.
Though some have proposed sinister reasons for keeping Kate close — an effort to better manipulate her public persona, for one — Bell believes that’s doubtful, if only because of how gracefully the duchess has taken to her new position.
“She’s just such a natural: never put a foot wrong, didn’t seem visibly stressed, ever, during her trip to Canada,” says Bell, a contributor to Majesty magazine. “They don’t need to control her.”
Carolyn Harris, founder of royalhistorian.com, says Kate’s embrace by the royals is likely an investment in keeping her happy. Indeed, the cou- pling of Will and Kate has already gone a long way toward repairing the public’s view of an institution plagued by scandal and divorce.
“The royal family really wants this marriage to succeed,” says Harris, a doctoral candidate in history at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. “There seems to be genuine warmth between the Duchess of Cambridge and the royal family, and a desire to make her feel included and supported while William is away on his military duties.”
According to Harris, Kate’s mentorship reflects the values of Elizabeth II’S grandmother, Queen Mary, whose rocky introduction to royal life inspired a passionate personal commitment to helping future generations adapt to their duties.
Though this tradition has notably slipped in recent decades, Harris says the attention bestowed upon Kate over the past year suggests a revival. In addition to being afforded her first public speech in March, the duchess appeared alongside the Queen at her Jubilee tour stop in Leicester, as well as during her visit to Fortnum & Mason with the Duchess of Cornwall.