Is Catherine the New People’s Princess?
Most surely people all over the world are going to compare Princess Diana, the People’s Princess, with Princess Catherine.|People from all over the globe will most definitely compare the new Princess Catherine with the People’s Princess – Princess Diana.} Not only is Princess Catherine the new Princess of England (technically Her Royal Highness, Duchess of Cambridge), she would also be Princess Diana’s daughter-in-law. If Princess Diana were alive today would she approve of Catherine? Or would their relationship be like many mother/daughter-in-law relationships that become strained?
If Diana and Catherine met they would have a lot to discuss and would be able to relate on a lot of different subjects. They both married Princes and were instantly thrown into the public eye. Catherine has been able to handle the publicity with a little more finesse than Diana did back in February 1981 when her engagement to Prince Charles was announced. At age 19, Diana was taken from her nursery assistant job and catapulted into the highly publicized life of the Royal Family with the world watching. Luckily for her, she was used to an aristocratic life growing up a Spencer. Diana’s family already had ties to the Royal Family when her sister married the Queen’s private secretary, and her grandmother was a close friend of the Queen Mother. Catherine grew up with a more stable family life than Diana. Her parents are still together and she had more time to be a kid, go to school and then marry her Prince at the age of 28 instead of being thrust into it all at 19. Both women would be able to understand each other’s angst and anxiety about being in the spotlight and having their personal lives become public. Diana was seen as shy and Catherine has been able to shine in the spotlight. Is Catherine going to become the new People’s Princess?
Most people look to either contrast only the differences between Catherine and Diana or they want to make them into the same person. It is more likely that if these women ever did meet, that they would be able to share in their similarities and celebrate their differences. They are different women from different backgrounds who went through similar experiences at different times in history. We have to take into account the differences in the times of their marriages. In 1981 it was still expected that Charles marry a young virginal bride who would become the mother of the future King of England. Diana’s virginity became a public topic for which she was repeatedly scrutinized. Now, in 2011 no one even attempted to ask Catherine such a personal question, and it would be almost pointless if someone did ask because Princess Catherine and Prince William have been living together for years – since their time at St. Andrews. Being 28 and getting married in 2011 allowed for Catherine to have very different experiences from that of Diana’s. Diana was still a teenager and it was mostly expected of her to be a virgin, to be from royal bloodlines, and to perform her duty as the wife of a prince. Catherine had different options when she decided to wed William because she is older and she went to school and studied History of Art. She met William at school and they were able to grow and mature together and then they decided to get married rather than court for a short period of time and then marry someone they hardly knew like Diana and Charles did. Catherine is choosing to be a stay at home wife and not use her college degree – this decision wasn’t made for her. From what we know about Diana, it’s quite possible that she would approve that Catherine is a mature and well educated woman and would appreciate those qualities in the person her son married.
People from around the world loved Diana and became preoccupied with her. A similar phenomenon is happening with Catherine, but perhaps learning from Diana’s experiences, she is handling herself quite differently. A positive attribute of Catherine’s is that she is very confident in front of the cameras and seems to be unfazed by all of the hype over every small thing she does. Where Diana tried to shy away from the cameras, Catherine shines in front of them. She smiles and always looks gracious, classy and refined, but she makes her public appearances and then goes out of the spotlight. When Diana was first introduced to her new whirlwind life she was more open and trusting because she didn’t know any better. Catherine is able to learn from Diana’s mistakes and has a lawyer ready to strike whenever needed. Just because Catherine is more prepared and more confident in front of the cameras and in the situations where she has to be a princess than Diana was, doesn’t take anything away from Diana’s presence. Catherine is not trying to be the next Princess Diana; she’s becoming the next Princess of England.
There are many comparisons made between Diana and Catherine, but what seems to stay the same is that they are both constantly in the spotlight and they are both well-loved princesses. Princess Diana will forever be the People’s Princess but that doesn’t mean that Catherine can’t adopt an equivalent title or the similar habits and manners. Diana’s tragic death can only strengthen Catherine’s desire to handle herself as safely and appropriately as possible. Diana has left her legacy on England and now it is up to Catherine to leave her own.
This article is courtesy of Everything Princesses, your one stop shop for all things for your little royal including princess dress up clothes, toys, crafts, books and room décor.
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