Royal Expert Says the Princess of Wales is “Rising Above the Drama”
\201cShe doesn’t do drama and she never has.\201d


Why does drama always happen around the Princess of Wales’ birthday? Kate was born on January 9, and it’s becoming a running pattern that something always happens around her big day: In 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down as working members of the royal family just the day prior, on January 8. In 2022, on January 12, Prince Andrew’s attempts to throw out a sexual assault lawsuit were dismissed by a judge. (The matter was later settled out of court in February.) And this year, just one day after Kate’s forty-first birthday, Harry released his bombshell memoir Spare on January 10—and, within its pages, multiple sideswipes at the sister-in-law he was once so close to.
Yet Kate, according to The Daily Mail, is “rising above the drama”: Back at work with both shared and solo engagements to a hospital in Liverpool and a nursery in Luton, it’s onward and upward for the Princess of Wales.
“She’s doing a job that not only puts a smile on her face, but brings smiles to the faces of others,” royal expert Katie Nicoll told OK. “She doesn’t do drama and she never has.”
Much like Her late Majesty before them, Kate—as well as father-in-law King Charles—are “back to business” and moving on with the work that needs to be done, Nicholl said.
“She’s leading by example and putting duty before herself,” Nicholl said.
And the public seems to be responding in kind. The Daily Mail reports that, “despite scathing attacks from Prince Harry in his memoir Spare, including claims [Prince] William pushed him over during an argument about Meghan, the Waleses were greeted with a huge cheer from the crowd as they arrived in the city [Liverpool, where the couple toured the new Royal Liverpool University Hospital].”
Here's to Kate’s forty-second birthday on January 9, 2024—may it be the most drama-free one she’s ever had.
Stay In The Know
Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.
-
Want a French Riviera Summer? Every It Girl Is Wearing This $150 Indie Beach Perfume
Transport your senses—no passport needed.
-
Kaia Gerber Brings Paris to the Tribeca Film Festival
She was a French model in a past life.
-
Princess Eugenie's on a Mission to Save Coral Reefs—And It Starts at Home
'Marie Claire' speaks with the royal about her role in a new ocean conservation exhibit.
-
Body Language Expert Reveals Queen Elizabeth "Truly Embraced" Meghan Markle During Rare Joint Appearance as a "Double Act" in 2018
"The fact that the two of them were appearing together...was quite unique."
-
Princess Diana's "Favorite" Royal Photographer Says There's One Photo He "Regrets" Taking of Her
"They didn't see me as I was hiding in the bushes."
-
Why Princess Diana Once "Canceled Lunch" at Kensington Palace to Take Prince William and Prince Harry to McDonald's
A former royal chef revealed the relatable reason Diana took her kids to the popular fast food chain.
-
Why Princess Diana Felt "Let Down Terribly" on Her Wedding Day When Her Mother "Kept Crying"
"She kept...saying that she couldn't cope with the pressure."
-
How an "Olive Branch" From King Charles to Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie Could Be a "Huge Problem" for the Royal Family
"It would send a message that would not be appropriate at the moment," a royal expert explained.
-
I Dressed Like Princess Diana For a Week—and Something Unexpected Happened
Call it the Diana Effect.
-
Princess Diana "Wound Down Her Window" and Gave a Bride Some Brutal Advice After Her Divorce From Prince Charles
Someone track this couple down ASAP.
-
Prince William and Prince Harry Could Be "Tempted" to Secretly Bid on Their Mother's Outfits in New Auction
Who could blame them?