The 'intelligent and intuitive' way Kate Middleton navigated royal life despite facing 'snooty' judgement
The Princess of Wales has made royal life look so effortless and a new book reveals how she managed it
While there are certainly many upsides to being a member of the Royal Family, this position also comes with a lot of pressure. For those born into it, like Prince William and King Charles, they have a lifetime to prepare. Others, like the Princess of Wales, have to find their own way - and fast.
In his book, Yes Ma'am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants, royal historian Tom Quinn suggests Kate’s "very intelligent and intuitive" skillset as the reason that she’s become such an important asset to the monarchy.
According to him, a former Kensington Palace employee claimed, "Kate was always happy to accept advice both from the lower staff, with whom she got on very well, and from the courtiers, even though some of them were initially very snooty about her."
They went on to share how they see the Princess operating within the royal system, alleging, "Kate is someone who slowly and carefully absorbs the atmosphere of a place, the relationship between people and the rules."
"She doesn't jump in straight away and try to change everything to suit her way of thinking," the source added. "She bides her time and is very intelligent and intuitive about other people."
This skill could be a key reason why she’s become such an important figure to both the wider Royal Family and to Prince William. In the excerpt from the book, the source continued, "I don't know where William would be without Kate - she hasn't had everything done for her throughout her life, so she calms him down when he gets a bit fractious."
This is not the first time Kate’s ability to quickly adapt to the royal way of life has been discussed. Royal biographer Catherine Mayer previously suggested Kate has followed in the footsteps of the late Queen Elizabeth with how she conducts herself in public.
Speaking on HELLO!’s A Right Royal Podcast, she said, "She has done such a clever job of finding a way to adapt to the institution. That does not mean that I think she has it easy. [But she's done] very little speaking and almost no confessional spilling of anything about who she is. She's quite enigmatic."
This skill for fostering connections while not oversharing is something the late Queen was widely celebrated for throughout her 70-year reign. Her Majesty seldom shared her own personal viewpoints.
It’s perhaps telling, therefore, that Kate singled out this quality when talking about Her Majesty on the ITV documentary, Our Queen at Ninety. In it, the Princess said, "Everyone feels like they've had some quality time with Her Majesty and, also, a real personal connection and I think that's a real skill."
Body language expert Judi James has also noticed Kate “perfecting” the same sort of body language that Queen Elizabeth showed. As per The Sun, Judi shared, "Kate has spent years perfecting the body language of sustainability and is now at no risk of looking bored or showing any negative emotions."
Comparing this to that of the late Queen, Judi added that Her Majesty was "always able to present the sweetest of smiles under the most difficult of circumstances".
