Kate Middleton is one of the most popular and well-loved members of the Royal Family. The Duchess of Cambridge is admired by many and it may be because she was keen to avoid repeating Princess Diana’s mistakes with Prince Charles.
Despite her untimely death in 1997, Princess Diana’s name is still being talked about until today. The Princess of Wales was highly popular when she was married to Prince Charles and even after their divorce. However, her popularity may have been a little too much for the future King, and Kate Middleton is trying to avoid doing that to Prince William.
“Kate very much sees her role as supporting William. There was a bit of a problem with Charles and Diana that Charles often felt overshadowed by Diana particularly when they were on overseas tours. People wanted to see her and weren’t particularly bothered about seeing him,” royal author Phil Dampier previously said.
Meanwhile, Princess Diana was often recognized as a royal rebel. The Princess of Wales was not keen on following strict Royal Family rules as she was known for doing her own thing. An unearthed biography has, then, revealed a possible reason as to why Princess Diana “lacked discipline.”
Howard Hodgson revealed the key difference between Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s childhood in his 2007 biography "Charles: The man who will be King.” He shared that while both of them didn’t like the fact that they were sent to boarding schools, the way that they dealt with the situation said a lot about their personalities.
Prince Charles complained about his situation at the time but his complaints were ignored. Prince Philip, reportedly, hoped that his eldest son would “toughen up” and become more stoic. The Prince of Wales eventually accepted his fate and appreciated his boarding school experience.
As for Princess Diana, she was sent to a finishing school in Switzerland after failing her O-levels twice. The lessons were taught in French and she had a hard time with the language, leading her to become more timid so she wouldn’t embarrass herself. After a term, Princess Diana’s parents gave in to her complaints and she moved in with her mother in Knightsbridge.
Even though royal fans have seen Princess Diana in Kate Middleton, the latter is definitely less of a rebel than the Princess of Wales. While the Duchess of Cambridge sometimes breaks royal protocols, she is mostly known for following them.
