Kate Middleton Is the Crown’s ‘Best Hope,’ Says Princess Diana’s Former Secretary
As the royal ranks thin out further, Kate Middleton remains the crown’s “best hope” for continuity, says Princess Diana’s former secretary.
Kate Middleton can carry the crown into the future
Princess Diana’s former private secretary, Patrick Jephson, alluded to Vanity Fair that Kate Middleton was the one person who could keep the monarchy afloat. Reaction to her presence at Trooping the Color proved just that, as public excitement bubbled over six months after Kensington Palace revealed she had cancer.
However, as senior royals remain spread thin, as Kate and King Charles continue to battle cancer, and Princess Anne recovers from a head injury, pressure mounts on Kate to save the family. According to Jephson, without Kate, the entire institution seems “rather flat.”
“Without Catherine, it all seems rather flat. The monarchy’s future is William and Catherine,” the former private secretary says. “And, as we know from any superficial study of the British royal family, it’s the women who pull the show together. Who get out there and make things happen.”
He added, “So how fragile is the monarchy? Well, it’s as fragile as Catherine is, and at the moment, we don’t know.”
Kate Middleton is the crown’s ‘best hope’
Given the thinned ranks of senior royals, Kate Middleton is the family’s “best hope” for its continuum. Without her, there appears to be little interest in the old and stuffy institution.
“The intense public emotion that greeted Catherine’s brave appearance at Trooping underlined her crucial importance to the monarchy,” says Jephson. “Without her, the institution would surely be reduced to a shadow of itself.”
He continued, “Given the Windsors’ drastically thinned ranks, she is the crown’s best hope by far. She combines duty and beauty with a piercing vulnerability second only to Prince William’s mother.”
“When you get down to these few active operators, places are not getting visited. Those hands are not being shaken,” Jephson concludes. “Nobody’s getting the nice sunny smile, which has always been a critical part of the monarchy’s charm. It’s where the bedrock of its loyalty is built both in the UK and overseas.”
Thus far, 2024 has been one of the most challenging years for the royal family
Since January of this year, the royal family has rolled with the punches regarding the loss of two key players from forward-facing duties. Both Kate Middleton and King Charles announced they were hospitalized within weeks of each other in the early part of the year. Charles then announced he had cancer.
In March, Kate shared a video where she, too, announced she had cancer. Subsequently, she and Charles began treatment against the disease, with Prince William opting out of several critical public appearances to be with his wife.
Thus, at the time, the only steady working royals were Camilla, Queen Consort, Prince Edward, Sophie Duchess of Edinburgh, and Princess Anne. They picked up much of the slack left behind until Prince William’s full-time return.
In June 2024, Princess Anne suffered a concussion after a horse-related injury at her estate. She’s refraining from public duties for the foreseeable future.
This is a huge blow to the royal family, as Anne has consistently been the hardest-working royal for years. In 2023, she clocked in an extraordinary 473 royal family engagements.
Kate Middleton continues her cancer treatment. She is recovering at the home she shares with Prince William and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
