Royal watching can be a fickle pastime undertaken by royal watchers, themselves a fickle bunch. There are rules, though none written down, about how the public demands their senior royals behave while out and about.
At times, those same watchers are completely at odds with how the royal family wish to portray themselves in public.
Take the London Olympics; some observers were shocked that Her Majesty The Queen should participate in an Opening Ceremony skit with Daniel Craig, himself in the guise of James Bond, and be seen jumping out of a helicopter. How dare Her Majesty have her own mind and choose to tickle her own funny bone.
It is against this backdrop of arcane, unwritten rules – almost like watching the royal watchers themselves – that one person has risen to fly high above these arbitrary considerations.
Catherine Middleton came to the public attention in the searing heat of publicity and – very quickly - unwanted press attention and intrusion. She had met Prince William in 2001 at St Andrew’s in Scotland, where she earned a degree in art history.
It wasn’t long before the public started taking an interest in her and, naturally, formed their own judgements. Most of these were based on her background, appearance, dress sense, and looks; the same way far too many women are superficially judged, with none of it based upon her character, social attitudes or even her politics.
Thankfully for her, and her role within her new family, the public chooses to look upon her positively. To them, she radiates charm, elegance, sophistication and wit.
Such is the fickledom of prejudice; these attitudes have not been so readily bestowed upon her sister-in-law, Meghan Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex, whom many parts of the press and public have chosen to look scornfully upon.
Why one royal should receive one set of accolades while the other receives the polar opposite when, for the most part, they’ve attempted – from largely outside their comfort zones – to do largely the same job is something best left to one’s pigment of their imagination.
Catherine, or Kate, as she was now being called, graduated from university in 2005. She held several jobs and pursued charity work before her engagement to Prince William was announced in November 2010.
She became Duchess of Cambridge by her marriage on April 29th 2011. She also gained the titles of Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn and Baroness Carrickfergus. She was normally styled as ‘Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge’ except in Scotland, where she was instead styled ‘Her Royal Highness The Countess of Strathearn’.
Upon King Charles III’s accession to the throne in September 2022, she also became Duchess of Cornwall and Duchess of Rothesay, Countess of Carrick, Baroness of Renfrew, and Lady of the Isles (all in Scotland). She was thus briefly called “Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge”. The day after Charles’ accession, the King announced the appointment of William as Prince of Wales, with Catherine thus becoming Princess of Wales. As the wife of the Earl of Chester, she also bears the title Countess of Chester. Catherine is known as ‘Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales’, except in Scotland, where she is styled ‘Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Rothesay.’
Following her marriage, Catherine has undertaken royal duties and commitments in support of the British monarchy. She has represented the royal family on official overseas tours and has played a significant role in various charitable activities by undertaking projects through the Royal Foundation. Her charity work primarily focuses on issues surrounding early childhood care, addiction, and art.
Catherine is patron of multiple charitable and military organisations, including the Anna Freud Centre, Action for Children, SportsAid, and the National Portrait Gallery. To encourage people to discuss their mental health problems, she envisioned the mental health awareness campaign Heads Together, which she launched with her husband William and brother-in-law Harry in April 2016.
William and Catherine have three children: George, Charlotte, and Louis. Charlotte is the first beneficiary of the Succession to the Crown Act (2013), which means that males born after October 28th, 2011, no longer precede their elder sisters in the line of succession. Prince George now sits second in line to the throne, with Charlotte third.
Press intrusion
Catherine’s relationship with the media has been closely scrutinised, particularly her efforts to maintain privacy amid significant media attention and public interest.
The death of Diana, Princess of Wales, while being chased by paparazzi in August 1997 has strongly influenced Catherine’s and William’s attitude towards the media. They have often requested that, when off-duty, their privacy should be respected.
In April 2004, The Sun published pictures of Catherine with William at a ski resort and alleged that she was his girlfriend. After her graduation from university, Middleton was faced with widespread press attention and was often photographed by the paparazzi.
In October 2005, she complained through her lawyer about harassment from the media stating she had done nothing significant to warrant publicity and complained that photographers were permanently stationed outside her flat. This was all down to the fact that she was a friend of Prince William. A friend.
Between 2005 and 2006, Middleton’s phone was hacked 155 times, according to former News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman, who was involved in a phone hacking scandal by the newspaper that targeted the royal family. The royal family had to step in several times, especially after it was apparent she and William were, for a time, more than friends, in order to stop press harassment and intrusion.
Indeed, a long list could be made of the parallels between the treatment Diana, Princess of Wales, was subject to by the press and the behaviour Catherine Middleton has had to put up with. Her representatives have often had to use legal means to stop the unwanted and unwarranted intrusions into their private lives.
The appalling behaviour doesn’t just end at Catherine herself but also involves those around her. The ward nurse, who two Australian radio show hosts duped into describing Catherine’s condition over the phone while she was in hospital, ultimately took her own life following the following inquiry.
The depth plumbed by some with no recourse to shame is baffling. It must be exhausting having to be so protective in order to deal with such invasive behaviour.
Her role
It’s against this backdrop that, speaking to The Times on Catherine’s 40th birthday, her aides stated that she does not accept “advice on a PR basis” and will “never do something because she thinks the media will like it.” To that end, Catherine, prominent for her fashion style, chooses how she wishes to appear before the public. This has led to her being placed on numerous “best dressed” lists. She topped Tatler’s best-dressed list in 2022, and was ranked first by the same magazine on its list of the most glamorous European royals in 2024.
That said, Catherine’s influence has made her a significant asset to the royal family’s public image, enhancing their appeal and influence. This view is echoed by journalists Camilla Tominey, who described her as “the monarchy’s greatest asset,” and Petronella Wyatt, who called her “the jewel in the crown.” Rhonda Garelick of The New York Times has also noted her ability to balance modernity with traditional royal norms.
Sports
Catherine is a keen sportswoman and attends Wimbledon annually. She has been patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club since 2016. She also enjoys sailing and has occasionally participated in the sport to raise money for charity.
During the 2012 Olympics in London, millions of people watched as Team GB clocked up medal after medal in the velodrome while also marvelling at the wild enthusiasm of Catherine, William and Harry cheering the team on. In 2014, she and William were awarded Honorary Life Membership of the Marylebone Cricket Club. In July 2019, she supported Backyard Nature, a campaign created to inspire “children, families and communities to get outside and engage with nature”. In February 2022, she became patron of the Rugby Football Union and the Rugby Football League, both governing bodies that were previously supported by her brother-in-law Harry.
Health
Kensington Palace announced in January 2024 that Catherine had undergone a planned abdominal surgery for an undisclosed medical condition at the London Clinic. She postponed all of her public engagements and duties through March that year. Catherine announced on March 22nd that year, that post-operative tests had found cancer, and the palace said she had been undergoing chemotherapy since late February. Her medical leave from public engagements was subsequently extended.
Having withdrawn from public life, in January 2025, Catherine visited the Royal Marsden Hospital, where she was receiving her treatment for cancer, to thank doctors and nurses and meet with patients, marking her first solo public engagement since the completion of her chemotherapy treatment. In an announcement, she also revealed that her cancer was in remission.
Patronage
In addition to the various sports patronages Catherine holds, there are myriad other institutional, community projects, international humanitarian and health – including mental health – posts that she holds dear, supports and is a patron of. In case you were wondering, she spends her time supporting the less advantaged and looks to spread her time as much as she can across these projects.
Throughout all this time, she has risen above the white noise and the scandal that seem to have taken residence in the royal family. Quite conversely, she has been arguably the royal family’s best PR asset (despite her hating that term), certainly since the passing of Her Majesty the Queen in 2022. She is elegant, demure, diplomatic, has a keen sense of humour and is professional in her job. She will undoubtedly make a fine Queen, one the country will be proud of, and – one suspects – one which many cannot wait to see.
