Kate Middleton’s Latest Struggles With Royal Life Land Her in the Same Boat as Meghan Markle
Kate Middleton pulling out of Royal Ascot last minute reignited immense public concern over her health last month. The Princess of Wales's cancellation of attendance at such a high-profile event, which included the participation of the monarch, was highly unusual. But the 43-year-old, who is in remission, chose to balance recovery and duty. Her latest struggles with the back-to-back public appearances are similar to what her estranged sister-in-law, Meghan Markle, faced during her time in the royal family.
Middleton allegedly chose to 'recalibrate' by deciding against participating in the Royal Ascot. Ahead of the horse-racing event, the Princess wholeheartedly participated in VE Day celebrations, Trooping the Color, the monarch’s grand birthday parade, and the centuries-old tradition of the Order of the Garter. Commenting on her hectic schedule, a source told The Daily Beast, “Wednesday was a wake-up call, not a one-off... She has never found the public appearances, and the forensic attention and criticism that goes with them, at all easy to deal with, and it was just too much this week.” Markle too faced similar issues during her time as a senior working royal. While their struggles are different, the pressure they have to endure to on with their responsibilities, while being scrutinized in the press, reflects the difficulties of royal life.
The insider describing Middleton's past few years as ‘horrific,’ opined, “It has all taken its toll, and if she needs more time to recover... [Prince] William will fight tooth and nail to see she is given it.” Middleton's challenges reflect how every royal woman had to overcome their own struggles and put duty first. In the past, the late Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson have also gone through similar challenges, as outsiders joining the royal family, much like Markle and Middleton. Pictures of Diana at royal events, with her eyes red and swollen, having just cried, still remain fresh in our memories. Meanwhile, Ferguson, the Duchess of York, was famously nicknamed the 'Duchess of Pork' by the media as she battled an eating disorder.
According to People magazine, recently, Markle looked back at her time in the royal fold and the struggles she faced in fulfilling her duties while being pregnant with Prince Archie. On her Confessions of a Female Founder podcast, the Suits alum said, “A friend just said to me the other day, they were like, ‘I just saw this picture I’d forgotten about when you were so pregnant with Archie.’” She explained that she wore her five-inch, pointy-toed stilettos with the bump, and the only way to prevent herself from falling was ‘clinging’ very closely to Prince Harry. For the unversed, royal protocol dictates that royal women not wear flats at public engagements.