The Princess of Wales has done a “very clever job” in working out the perfect formula for adapting to life in the royal family, a royal author has claimed.
Speaking on HELLO!‘s A Right Royal Podcast this week, Catherine Mayer said Kate, 44, does “very little” speaking in public and does “no confessional spilling”.
Listen to the full episode below with our hosts, Royal experts Emily Nash and Andrea Caamano, to find out the real reason why Kate typically chooses a cautious quietness and “symbolic” gestures over a louder presence.
Catherine said: “She has done such a very clever job of finding a way to adapt to the institution. That does not mean I think she’s had it easy.”
She added: “She does very little speaking and almost no confessional spilling of anything about who she is. She and William have also chosen a group of friends who, as we know, do talk to the media, but only when they’re told to and not then on the record. But otherwise they don’t talk at all.”
Preparing for royal life
Catherine, the author of the new book Divide & Rule, believes that Kate’s degree has helped her fit into life at the Firm.
The Princess famously studied History of Art at the University of St Andrews from 2001 to 2005, which is where she met her future husband, Prince William.
Catherine explained: “I saw her own increasing mastery of imagery. So it’s not just that she’s chosen things like being involved with the National Portrait Gallery, or doing her own photography. But she understands how to use imagery to fulfill that royal role.”
For example, the Princess often chooses to share her own photographs from family life as a way of taking control over how much the public sees.
“She is also credited with the idea of giving out intimate family pictures as a way not of infringing her own privacy, but protecting it, because it stops paparazzi shots from having the same level of value. So it’s really clever,” the author said.
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The royal mother-of-three typically shares photographs for each of her children’s birthdays each year, and for major events such as Mother’s Day.
In 2024, she revealed her cancer diagnosis herself through an intimate and candid video, later sharing a family video to announce she had completed her cancer treatment.
Prince William and Kate live at Forest Lodge in Windsor with their three children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight.
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