Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, had to adjust her life before she married Prince William. Just like Meghan Markle, Prince Harry's wife, Kate reportedly had to cut some friends and change the way she dressed to better fit the royal standard expected of someone who will be with the future King of England.
In 2008, Kate apparently emailed to her friends that they must get used to calling her by her more formal name, Catherine, instead of Kate. According to royal expert Adam Helliker, it was becoming clearer and clearer at that time that she would be engaged to Prince William, whom she was dating for almost five years.
Kate also had to cut friends from her life when her relationship with Prince William deepened. Royal biographer Andrew Morton wrote in the book "William and Catherine" that some of Kate's friends actually felt relieved when news broke that they were no longer together in 2007.
The friends told Morton that Kate didn't make any efforts to see them when she was with Prince William. The break-up, however, was only brief since Kate and Prince William reunited after a few months and they eventually married in 2011.
Kate also had to be more comfortable wearing dresses and formal wear. Before becoming the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate loved jeans, shorts and sleeveless tops. She liked to keep it casual most of the time but she had to ditch this style and learn to dress more appropriately as the partner and wife of the second in line to the throne.
According to royal expert William Hanson, Kate's fashion choices became more regal as she joined the royal family. In her early years, the Duchess of Cambridge was reportedly not keen on changing her style but she had to listen to her advisers and watch the other royals who have "been there and done that."
Today, Kate is emerging more confident and comfortable as a royal. She is also learning to incorporated her own spin in the way she carries herself in public.
Insiders revealed in an interview that, early on, Kate understood the importance of her role in the British monarchy. She knew that the she needed to go with the rigid standards to meet the public's expectations.
In some ways, Kate remains a traditional English rose, as one commentator said. Hence, many see her as the future Queen of England sitting beside her husband's throne.
