Kate Middleton Is "Very Good" With People Like Princess Diana Was, Royal Expert Says
She's a great listener.
![Kate middleton christmas](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BSfZqZPBiQYKtd8sBDoysK-415-80.jpg)
Though Kate Middleton never met her husband's mother, the late Princess Diana, she has gracefully followed in her footsteps in more ways than one.
The Princess of Wales was famous for being friendly and approachable with everyone, and so is her daughter-in-law. Celebs like Billie Eilish and Emma Watson certainly seem to think so, anyway.
"She is patient, and has the ability to listen," royal expert Ingrid Seward tells The Mirror of the Duchess of Cambridge. "And she has discovered she has this ability with people, she is very good with the very young and the very old. That is like Diana was."
That said, publicly interacting with so many people didn't necessarily always come naturally to the duchess. "Today there is definitely confidence and poise there. She has learnt to overcome her shyness," Seward explains.
For the expert, Middleton has taken her time growing into her role as a senior royal. "She has taken it gently, she didn’t go headlong into everything.
"On the advice of Prince Charles, you don’t have to rush into taking on hundreds of charities, you can take your time and enjoy your family, and I believe having her family has helped her gain confidence."
With that in mind, the Capricorn duchess has always been a high achiever. "But while it is not in Kate’s nature to push herself forward, she has always been very competitive, since her school days when she played in the netball and lacrosse teams," Seward continues.
Stay In The Know
Marie Claire email subscribers get intel on fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more. Sign up here.
"From a young age Kate was an all-rounder.
"Kate is a product of her mother, she was brought up to do everything to perfection. She learnt to sail as a young girl and rock climb and ski. She loved cooking, dressing up and making clothes. She learnt the piano, her father taught her to play tennis to a high standard.
"All these skills came because her ambitious mother encouraged her to learn them. There’s nothing she can’t turn her hand to."
The multitalented duchess turns 40 on Jan. 9, and is said to have "really come into her own" as she approaches the milestone birthday. I'm excited to see where she takes her role in the Royal Family next.
Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.
-
Taylor Swift Trolls "Godkids' Sperm Donor" Ryan Reynolds Amid 'Deadpool' Release
Proof that they're besties.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Zendaya Delivers a Podium-Worthy Pre-Olympics Gown
She's shining brighter than the City of Lights.
By Halie LeSavage Published
-
'Love Island USA' Star Kenny Rodriguez Is Not "Playing Around" with His and JaNa Craig's Romance Outside of the Villa
The prince and princess of season 6 have remained the cutest couple since filming wrapped.
By Quinci LeGardye Published
-
Lady Diana Spencer Made This Telling Change to Her Wedding Vows to Prince Charles After Discovering He Was Still Carrying On an Emotional Affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles
Diana wanted to cancel the wedding entirely, but her sisters talked her out of it.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Could You Imagine Prince William and Prince Harry As Prince Arthur and Prince Albert? Had King Charles Had His Way, That’d Be the Reality
For better or worse, Princess Diana won out when it came to naming her sons.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Royals, Paul McCartney, Nicola Coughlan, Salma Hayek... Was Taylor Swift's London Eras Tour Her Most Star-Studded Yet?
Imagine all the people........
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Kate Middleton Confirms She Will Attend Trooping the Colour in a Heartfelt Update on Her Cancer Treatment
"I am making good progress."
By Halie LeSavage Last updated
-
Queen Elizabeth Apparently Gave Camilla Parker-Bowles Sage Advice on Her Wedding Day to Prince Charles, Which Camilla Ignored—and Later Regretted
Though the subject matter at hand may be surprising, according to lip readers, Camilla said not heeding her mother-in-law’s advice “really wasn’t a very good idea.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Lip Readers Decode the Advice Queen Elizabeth Gave Princess Diana on the Buckingham Palace Balcony the Day Diana Married Prince Charles
Lip readers have also deduced what Charles said to his bride while at the altar at St. Paul’s Cathedral 43 years ago this summer.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Princess Diana Revealed to a Royal Author the Real Reason Why Her Marriage to Prince Charles Ended Not Long Before She Died in 1997
And no, it apparently wasn’t Camilla Parker-Bowles.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Princess Diana Told Queen Elizabeth Through Tears That Her Then-Husband Prince Charles Was “A Nightmare” and That She “Hated” Him, Royal Author Claims
Ingrid Seward’s new book examines the relationship between mother and son, Her late Majesty and her heir, Charles.
By Rachel Burchfield Published