Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career Money
    • Health Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes amp; Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • NYFW
    • Life In Plastic
    • Cari Champion
    • New Books
    • Postpartum Psychosis
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Kate Middleton Is More Like the Queen Than Princess Diana, a Royal Expert Explains

    Royal experts says Kate Middleton is very similar to the Queen, as both are introverted, love the outdoors, and have an amazing "ability to compartmentalize." 

    By Kayleigh Roberts
    Published 4 July 2020 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter
    • When she first started getting serious with Prince William, people were quick to compare Kate Middleton to his late mother, Princess Diana, but royal experts say the Duchess of Cambridge actually has more in common with another senior royal: The Queen.
    • Royal author Victoria Murphy pointed to Kate's introverted nature, love of the outdoors, and "ability to compartmentalize" as things she has in common with the Queen.
    • Several royal experts agree that Kate has grown more confident over the years and has grown into her role in the royal family.

    You know that creepy AF old relationship adage about men (or, at least hetero/cisgendered men, anyway) always growing up to marry someone like their mother? Well, for Prince William, that bit of creeptastic "wisdom" needs to be adjusted a bit because he actually married someone just like his grandmother, it turns out.

    Speaking to Yahoo UK, two royal experts weighed in on Will's wife, Kate Middleton, and her royal ruling style. According to royal author Victoria Murphy, there was always a "rush" among royal fans to compare Kate to Will's late mother, Princess Diana, but that just doesn't match with who the Duchess of Cambridge is.

    "I’ve always thought that Kate has more in common personality-wise with the Queen; not an extrovert, but quietly self-assured with a love of the outdoors and the ability to compartmentalize," Murphy explained, later adding, "I think she still remains more of a team player than a leader though and perhaps more of a listener than a talker, but I think these qualities are well-suited to her current and future roles."

    Even though Kate is naturally introverted, however, Murphy says it's also clear that she's really come out of her shell and grown a lot since marrying into The Firm and is well on her way to preparing to be queen someday.

    "There is no doubt that Kate has hugely grown in confidence since joining the royal family," Murphy said. "At the beginning she was very keen to learn the ropes and look to others for guidance over what she should be doing and you could sense that. But gradually she’s started to take the lead more and now it feels much more like she is a driving force when it comes to the types of causes she and William are taking on and the way they approach their work."

    You may like
    • Kate Middleton wears a giant straw hat and a green dress to attend Wimbledon in July 2026 Princess Kate "Melds More Easily" to Royal Life
    • Princess Kate Middleton has long wavy brown hair and wears a black polo neck sweater with a brown blazer One Royal Has Become "Very Close" to Princess Kate
    • NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - JUNE 13: Queen Elizabeth II and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (L) attend Vernon Park during a Diamond Jubilee visit to Nottingham on June 13, 2012 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage) Queen Elizabeth Felt Princess Kate Came From “A Very Different Place” Than Other Royal Wives

    Angela Levin, another royal author who spoke to Yahoo UK about Kate's royal personality, agreed.

    "I think she has gained in confidence as time has gone on. She is a perfectionist who wants to get things right and has been nervous that she might not," Levin said. "Now she knows the ropes she is more relaxed. I also think that being a mother has made a huge difference to how she faces life as a royal."

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.

    subscribe here

    RELATED STORIES

    london, united kingdom july 10 embargoed for publication in uk newspapers until 24 hours after create date and time queen elizabeth ii, meghan, duchess of sussex and prince harry, duke of sussex watch a flypast to mark the centenary of the royal air force from the balcony of buckingham palace on july 10, 2018 in london, england the 100th birthday of the raf, which was founded on on 1 april 1918, was marked with a centenary parade with the presentation of a new queens colour and flypast of 100 aircraft over buckingham palace photo by max mumbyindigogetty images

    (Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo)

    Meghan's Case Could Damange Harry's Family Bonds

    gloucester, united kingdom june 10 embargoed for publication in uk newspapers until 24 hours after create date and time catherine, duchess of cambridge and princess charlotte of cambridge attend the maserati royal charity polo trophy at the beaufort polo club on june 10, 2018 in gloucester, england photo by max mumbyindigogetty images

    (Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo)

    Kate Middleton Looks Exactly Like Charlotte in TBT

    Explore More
    Princess Catherine Prince William Diana
    Kayleigh Roberts
    Social Links Navigation
    Contributing Editor at Marie Claire

    Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

    Read more
    Princess Kate Middleton has long wavy brown hair and wears a black polo neck sweater with a brown blazer
    Royals One Royal Has Become "Very Close" to Princess Kate
    By Amy Mackelden
    Pippa Middleton wearing a white dress and sunglasses at Wimbledon
    Royals Pippa Middleton Could Be Offered One Future Role With Princess Kate
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Queen Elizabeth smiling at Lady Louise
    Royals This Royal’s Approach to Life and Love is Like Queen Elizabeth “All Over Again"
    By Kristin Contino
    Prince William Princess Kate dating
    Royals Royal Editor Reveals the “Sincere” Advice Given To Kate Middleton While Dating Prince William
    By Christine Ross
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    Prince Harry looks at Prince William on the Buckingham Palace balcony as both wear military uniforms
    Royals Prince William's Stance on Prince Harry Has Changed to a "Cold War"
    Duchess Sophie wearing a lime green dress with a purple sash
    Royals Duchess Sophie Embraces Fall's Unexpected Color Clashing Trend
     
     
    A split image of Prince Harry kissing Lilibet and Harry and Lilibet skiing
    Royals Princess Lilibet Shares One of Mom Meghan's Favorite Hobbies
    Grace Kelly wearing a white dress
    Royals Grace Kelly "Understood Quiet Luxury" Before the Term Was Invented
     
     
    Latest in News
    Prince Harry looks at Prince William on the Buckingham Palace balcony as both wear military uniforms
    Royals Prince William's Stance on Prince Harry Has Changed to a "Cold War"
    collage of the best celebrity looks at the 2026 Toronto Film Festival
    Celebrity Style TIFF 2026's Best-Dressed Stars Are Bringing Their Fashion A-Game to Toronto
     
     
    Duchess Sophie wearing a lime green dress with a purple sash
    Royals Duchess Sophie Embraces Fall's Unexpected Color Clashing Trend
    A split image of Prince Harry kissing Lilibet and Harry and Lilibet skiing
    Royals Princess Lilibet Shares One of Mom Meghan's Favorite Hobbies
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.