Kate Middleton “Melds More Easily” With the Royal Family Because of This Trait—but There Are Still “Burdens”

Rachel BurchfieldMon, August 10, 2026 at 4:41 PM UTC

0

Kate Middleton at Royal Ascot on June 17, 2026.Credit: GettyThe Gist -

Kate Middleton is similar to Queen Elizabeth in many ways, royal historian Catherine Mayer told Marie Claire in a new interview.

One specific practice has allowed the Princess of Wales the ability to meld “more easily” with the institution, she added.

That said, while she is skilled at being a working royal, that doesn’t mean the future queen’s life in the royal fishbowl is without “burdens.”

Kate Middleton has characteristics resembling the late Queen Elizabeth that allows her to adapt more easily to being a working member of the royal family, according to a royal historian.

Catherine Mayer, whose book Divide and Rule: Royal Women and Their Battles came out earlier this summer, told Marie Claire that following the late monarch’s model—while simultaneously making it her own—has allowed the Princess of Wales to more easily adapt to the institution—though it hasn’t been without “burdens.”

Kate Middleton on July 6, 2026.Credit: Getty

“There is some truth to the idea that Kate follows a model quite close to Elizabeth’s in terms of letting images do the talking rather than expressing herself more verbally and freely,” Mayer said. “That melds more easily with an institution that is meant to stay out of party politics and unite the populations it represents across 15 realms, rather than being divisive.”

“But it doesn’t mean that other models are automatically wrong,” she clarified.

Queen Elizabeth—who died at age 96 on September 8, 2022—is “a tough act to follow,” Mayer noted.

“With Elizabeth Windsor, it is even more tempting to believe that we know her,” Mayer said. “Most of us grew up with her as a familiar, if distant, figure, and there are any number of films and TV series that appear to bring her to life.”

“By the end of her reign, she was hailed as the perfect monarch,” she continued, while pointing out that there were also “long periods” when she was “criticized for missteps or mocked for being a little too safe.”

Advertisement

Queen Elizabeth on her 90th birthday on April 21, 2016.Credit: Getty

Queen Elizabeth’s reign made history, ultimately lasting 70 years. Speaking of perfection, in modern times, Kate constantly has to grapple with pressure to be flawless as the world watches—not an easy undertaking.

“She is human, and the projection onto her of perfection adds to the burdens she already carries as one of the most famous women in the world,” Mayer told the outlet. “And that scrutiny is worse for royal women, because it is their job to be seen.”

Kate Middleton on March 5, 2026.Credit: Getty

Beyond that, Mayer added, “the only way the monarchy continues to exist or recruits new members is through marriage and reproduction. That appears to legitimize a closer interest in their love lives and bodies than other famous women endure. And such scrutiny is always worse for famous women than famous men.”

The Princess of Wales has risen to the challenge. “What many people don’t realize, even for those of us who follow the royals closely, is what an integral part of the institution Catherine is,” royal biographer Russell Myers told Vanity Fair. “I found it fascinating just how much [Prince] William relies on [Catherine]. Both professionally, personally, and emotionally.”

“That partnership is integral to who they are as people,” he added.

The princess “has an inner steel about what she wants and a drive that will be reflected in what she does and what she wears,” Bethan Holt, fashion director at The Telegraph, told People. One way Kate asserts power is through her fashion choices, and Holt told the outlet in December 2025, “I think there is a subtle style evolution. She just seems to be broadening her horizons a little bit.”

Kate Middleton at Wimbledon on July 2, 2026.Credit: Getty

“It’s a subtle evolution, and she’s definitely still ticking all those boxes that are so integral to who she is as a royal and future queen,” she continued. “Kate knows that the interest in her is going to be there for years to come and that she needs to keep gently moving things on and doing something different, but nothing too surprising that it feels unsettling. It’s a very fine line.”

on InStyle

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”