Kate Middleton's unique positioning has made her an intriguing figure. She's been a member of the royal family for over a decade. While she's well-loved by the public and press, there's nothing about her that's particularly gripping. Is that because she's had to water herself down for the royal family? We all know that the expectations there are sky high, especially for the future queen consort.
The Duchess of Cambridge seems to be constantly reintroduced to the public. She's introduced as a reinvented figure, despite being in the fold of The Firm for years. It seems like Kate's constant reinventions are a way to make her more relatable to the public. Her current project, the 5 Big Questions survey on early childhood experiences across the UK, is said to be her passion project. Kate certainly seems knowledgeable about the subject, but it doesn't exactly feel passionate. Her interest in the subject is inspired by motherhood, but the royal family seems uninterested in exploring Kate's value and personality beyond her roles as a wife and mother.
This becomes even more interesting when you consider Kate's positioning in relation to other members of the royal family. William and Kate are guarded and tame as a necessity of eventually taking the throne. That doesn't mean that there can't still be change and growth for the couple, however. William's growth has been seen in recent years as he takes on new responsibilities. Kate's role has yet to see that kind of growth.
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Only recently has she begun getting involved in more projects of her own, like her Chelsea Flower Show garden last spring. It wouldn't look so questionable if you consider it in isolation, but in the face of what Meghan Markle was able to accomplish in a short period of time as a senior royal, it does seem like Kate's often left floundering.
Kate Middleton has been a member of the royal family for over a decade. She dated Prince William on and off for seven years before the couple got engaged in 2010. When they first got engaged, everyone became fascinated with Kate. Her family is tied to British aristocracy going back almost a century. She went to private schools her whole life before meeting William at the University of St Andrews.
Some controversy was kicked up about Kate in the beginning. She posed in a sheer nightie in a university fashion show. She did her fair share of partying. That all quickly went away once she became the Duchess of Cambridge. It was her first reinvention, but far from the last.
Kate was presented to the public as a fashion and beauty icon in the years before motherhood. She also slowly became involved in charity work. Her critics argue that she should have been involved earlier on, as she had no philanthropic history prior to joining the royal family. Instead, she was believed to spend a lot of her time shopping and partying.
Once William and Kate announced they were expecting in late December 2012, Kate's image was yet again rebooted. Throughout her first pregnancy and during subsequent pregnancies, she was portrayed as a nurturing figure. The narrative around Kate has shifted a bit each time, but not in any way that's illuminated anything new about her.
Perhaps that's the thing about how Kate has been positioned within the royal family. She comes from this aristocratic background and is having a "fine, just fine" marriage with the future king of England, but it's hard to feel like you know anything about Kate as a person. Her latest shift, her big project regarding early childhood development, is just an extension of her nurturing role.
Being nurturing and motherly will serve Kate well when she does become queen consort, but we're still a way away from that point. In the meantime, many people wonder if we'll ever learn anything new or interesting about Kate that doesn't relate to her as a mother or wife. The contrast is most evident when it comes to Kate and Meghan Markle.
Now, regardless of how you feel about Meghan, you can't argue that she didn't have her own stuff going on before she entered the royal family. She was an actress and lifestyle blogger. She was a feminist advocate, having given a speech at the International Women’s Day for UN Women. Her interests outside of herself and her career have always been obvious.
She also acted on those interests in her time as a senior member of the royal family. One might argue some of that was accomplished because Meghan was quicker to disregard royal protocol than Kate, but seeing as Kate is going to one day play a major role in shaping protocol, she could probably afford to push back a bit more than she seems to.
The compliments that are given to Kate even seem to point to a lack of depth or greater purpose.
"As Kate, or rather the Duchess of Cambridge, hits the ripe age of 38 this year, there is a lot to be proud of and what she has truly achieved within the royal family," London-based royal commentator Neil Sean noted.
"Not only has she created a loving home for future King William and has three adorable children, but the last two years have seen Kate really place her firm fashionable stiletto heel within the royal family known as The Firm."
It's a nice sentiment, but it still isn't saying much. The compliment boils down to Kate being a well-dressed woman and a nice mom. If the public reaction to Meghan and Harry is any indication, people are looking for a little more depth from their royals.
Historically, this issue has arisen many times in the royal family. Take William, for example. William was the classically good-looking king-to-be, but despite being in the spotlight his whole life, you don't know much about what matters to him. Harry, for his faults in his early adulthood, has always been more open about his feelings. It's proven to be an asset more than a weakness time and again, and yet no one's hinted to William that he might try to open up a bit more toward the people he'll one day rule over.
If you've watched The Crown, you may know a thing or two about how this issue impacted the relationship between Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. Margaret wasn't a by-the-book kind of woman and while she caused many a controversy, she was also beloved by the public. Her ability to be more personable and relatable brought into question the Queen's stiff upper lip mentality.
The stories about William and Kate are pretty mundane, with the exception of two areas. Kate's topless sunbathing early in their marriage caused a stir but was quickly forgotten. Then, there were the 2019 accusations that William and Kate were having trouble due to infidelity on William's part. No one wants to see the couple struggle or break up, but opening up about how a marriage changes as you have kids and go from your 20s to 30s may have actually been an asset to the couple if approached the right way.
It seems likely that William and Kate will continue to toe the line of safety. That's a relief for a very drama-stricken royal family, of course. As time presses forward and William and Kate come closer to the throne, however, is it too much to expect to know the people behind the titles?
If Prince Charles is any indication, there's a lot you can do and still come back from in the royal family. William and Kate can stand to let people in a bit more without crumbling the monarchy. In a post Harry and Meghan world, it will be interesting to see whether William and Kate are more compelled to open up or keep to their traditional ways.
