Kate Middleton is currently one of the most popular royals. Although she grew up as a commoner, Catherine, Princess of Wales, has managed to smoothly transition into her royal role.
According to an expert, Kate was able to integrate into the royal family by staying silent over bad press. Here’s the theory and how she did it.
Kate Middleton in 2006 | Julian Herbert/Getty Images
Kate Middleton has received negative press many times over the years
Middleton first caught the media’s attention in the early 2000s when she started dating Prince William. As a royal girlfriend, she was subjected to scrutiny about her background and life decisions. For example, her mother was ridiculed for being a descendant of coal miners, and her family members were also accused of being social climbers.
Kate and William had a long courtship that lasted almost 10 years. The press even called her “Waity Katie,” implying that she was desperately waiting for William to propose.
In 2012, not long after Kate joined the royal family, she dealt with a serious invasion of privacy when photos of her sunbathing topless were published by a French tabloid magazine. The royal palace quickly criticized the publication and the paparazzo who sold the photos.
Then, in 2019, Kate’s marriage also came under scrutiny. A rumor came out that William was having an affair with a friend named Rose Hanbury. However, neither Kate nor William responded to the rumor. They continued to show a united front in public and focused on their work. The rumor eventually dissipated.
Kate Middleton integrated into the royal family by not responding to negative press
According to Tom Quinn, Kate’s silence at all the negative press has helped her integrate into the royal institution. The royal biographer told Fox News (via Yahoo):
“I remember when the press was so horrible to Kate. They said because her mother was a stewardess, as it used to be called in those days, no one would invite the family to any events where there was anyone of significance present.
The press would remark how she was descended from working-class people, which is an absolutely cruel thing to say. But Kate never responded. She didn’t complain. She didn’t write letters to the press or ring in the editors. She said nothing. And that was a good move. She illustrated how calm she was about those things and didn’t make a fuss. And then, it vanished.”
Quinn contrasted this to Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, who has made many complaints about the press. Quinn explained, “Kate and Meghan [Markle] got the same nasty press coverage. But in Meghan’s case, she complained that it was unfair, it was unkind, it was horrible. That only keeps the story alive for weeks.”
Middleton’s way of dealing with the press is similar to Queen Elizabeth’s
The late Queen Elizabeth II lived by the motto, “Never complain, never explain.” Throughout her long reign, the royal family was hit with many scandals. However, she rarely publicly responded to them.
According to biographer Matthew Dennison, by not getting into petty feuds, this was the queen’s way of putting the monarchy first and prioritizing service to her people.
“As throughout a life in which she had consistently honoured her father’s belief that ‘the highest of distinctions is the service of others’, she had placed the monarchy first, safeguarding its mission of service and duty that could never, she was certain, be a part-time calling,” Dennison said.
