Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Royal Departure Forced Prince William and Kate Middleton to “Kickstart Their Star Quality,” Expert Says

(Image credit: Neil Mockford / FilmMagic for Getty Images)

published 28 May 2022

As a former actress, it was Meghan Markle that had long been used to glittery red carpets. But, say experts, Prince Harry and Meghan’s departure from the royal family has now forced Prince William and Kate Middleton to “kickstart their star quality,” as the couple “have stepped up their glitzy appearances,” The Mirror reports.

Just last week, we saw Kate dazzle at London’s Top Gun: Maverick red carpet premiere in black and white Roland Mouret; her glittery gold Jenny Packham gown stole the show at last year’s James Bond film premiere of No Time to Die. On True Royalty TV’s The Royal Beat, a panel of experts spoke of how the Cambridges have undergone a “monumental transition” since they celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary in 2021.

“They’ve swapped their wax jackets and walks with the dogs for tiaras, ball gowns, and velvet, and walks down the red carpet with Tom Cruise,” royal expert Duncan Larcombe says. “This is about that coming of age…the Prince and Princess of Wales in waiting.”

Fellow royal expert and historian Tessa Dunlop says that this transformation is partially due to Harry and Meghan.

“I think we have got to give some of the credit to Harry and Meghan, because I think they forced the couple to slightly kickstart their star quality,” she says.

Yet long before their days of red carpets, tuxedos, and designer dresses, they had one VIP fan in particular: Her Majesty the Queen, who saw even on their wedding day in 2011 the power of the pair.

“The Queen was positively playful on the day of her grandson’s nuptials, ‘practically skipping’ according to one observer, absolutely thrilled at the way the public had reacted to the royal newlyweds,” writes Andrew Morton in his newest book, The Queen. “She had a sense that the future of the royal family, her family, was now secure. The monarchy was once again held in admiration and affection by the masses.”

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.