The moment that highlighted Kate Middleton's 'star quality' and will make a 'more than worthy' queen
Royal editor Duncan Larcombe celebrates how the Princess of Wales has become a natural - and the Royal Family’s ‘sparkle’
The Princess of Wales's popularity is at an all-time high, as she almost single-handedly provides the sparkle the Royal Family so desperately needs.
Blessed with stunning good looks and the ability to be elegant, whether in a ball gown or rolling up her sleeves to play table tennis with a group of underprivileged youngsters, Kate has cemented her place at the top table.
In recent years, she has enjoyed unrivalled popularity with the public both here and overseas. But her cancer diagnosis and the cruel way she was forced to silence the conspiracy theorists and online trolls about being unwell - and therefore out of the public eye - have simply served to prove that she's in a league of her own.
Having to sit down and calmly explain that she was being treated for cancer not only silenced her critics but also made those who love her reach a new level of infatuation.
Thankfully, she is in remission, but the moment anyone is told by a doctor, 'It's cancer,' remains one of the most frightening scenarios a human can face.
She might have married into the Royal Family, with all the trappings that come with that, but her relatability is just what's needed in this turbulent time for the Firm.
I first met Kate in 2005, when little - if anything - was known about the beautiful St Andrews undergraduate who had caught the eye of our future king. At the time, she had been told that if journalists or photographers approached her, she needed to simply smile and act as though she was pleased to see them.
My conversation with Kate during a ski trip in Switzerland that year was brief, and instead I ended up speaking to Prince William as she quietly slipped away.
But in our encounter I was struck by how sincere she seemed to be, and someone who had her head well and truly on her shoulders. For some, a royal encounter is too much to contemplate, but Kate has always taken it in her stride.
The truth is that Kate has turned out to be a natural. Someone the late Queen would have been extremely proud of and recognised as a huge asset.
In his recent book, the royal expert Russell Myers reveals something that, to me, simply shows what an exceptional person Kate really is.
She will one day make a wonderful queen at William's side
Myers claims that Kate had instinctive and grave concerns about inheriting the title Princess of Wales. Not only were Princess Diana's enormous shoes to fill, but Kate was also concerned about detracting from the legacy of her husband's much-loved mother.
It was, according to Myers, something that she had even spoken to her husband and her father-in-law Prince Charles (as he was then) about.
In his book, Myers writes, 'Catherine had privately expressed to William and to Charles her reservations about taking over the title, conscious of the British public's exceptional feeling for, and connection to, Princess Diana even 25 years after her death.'
How incredible that someone about to inherit one of the most iconic titles in the world would be modest enough to raise her concerns. I would say that is a sign, if not proof, of Kate's star quality.
Kate, you are more than worthy of the title of Princess of Wales and will one day make a wonderful queen at William's side.
This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.
