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

• When she first started getting serious with Prince William, people were quick to compare Kate Middleton (opens in new tab) 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 (opens in new tab) 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 (opens in new tab) about men (or, at least hetero/cisgendered men, anyway) always growing up to marry someone like their mother? Well, for Prince William (opens in new tab), 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 (opens in new tab), two royal experts weighed in on Will's wife, Kate Middleton (opens in new tab), 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 (opens in new tab), but that just doesn't match with who the Duchess of Cambridge (opens in new tab) is.

"I’ve always thought that Kate has more in common personality-wise with the Queen (opens in new tab); 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 (opens in new tab) 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."

Angela Levin (opens in new tab), 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."

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