Princess Kate Still Lives by Advice She Received from Prince Philip — and It Explains Her Royal Success
Long before she stepped into the role of the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton received a brilliant piece of advice that, according to royal insiders, still shapes the way she carries herself in public and has become the secret to her royal success. And no, it didn’t come from the late Queen Elizabeth, but rather from her husband, Prince Philip.
As per the Daily Mail, Philip, who until his death in 2021 was the longest-serving consort in British history, was quietly impressed by Middleton early on. He saw something in her that gave him reassurance. According to royal biographer and family friend Gyles Brandreth, the Duke of Edinburgh was 'relieved' that William had found 'such a level-headed girl.' While their relationship was closely watched from the start, Middleton’s seamless transition into royal life was no accident. She had guidance from someone who had lived that role for decades and learnt how to survive it.
In Philip: The Final Portrait, Brandreth shares that the Duke wasn't pleased with how Princess Diana let public adoration consume her. “One of the things that saddened, and worried, the Queen and Prince Philip about Diana… was not that she was popular, but that she allowed her popularity to go to her head,” Brandreth wrote. Philip, known for his wisdom, didn’t mince his words when offering Middleton this crucial lesson: “If you believe the attention is for you, for you, you’re going to end up in trouble. The attention is for your role, what you do, what you’re supporting. It isn’t for you as an individual. You are not a celebrity. You are representing the royal family. That’s all.”
It was a philosophy both he and the Queen lived by, especially in their earlier years when their own marriage was dubbed a fairytale. But as Philip saw it, the difference was that neither he nor Elizabeth 'took it personally.' Another golden rule Philip passed on was not to look at the camera. “The [late] Queen never looks at the camera. Never,” he said. “Look at who you are talking to. Look at who you’ve come to see. Diana looked at the camera.” And by all accounts, Middleton listened. Brandreth noted that even after Philip’s death, she has never looked at the camera.
Over the years, there’s been talk of how Prince William and Middleton have modeled themselves after the late Queen Elizabeth and Philip, who were married for 73 years. From their early years of marriage, described by Brandreth as “a relatively normal young officer’s life,” echoing Philip and Elizabeth’s time in Malta, to their quiet discipline on royal engagements, the similarities are clear. At a 2012 royal engagement, Brandreth watched William and Middleton work a room with precision and grace. “At all times, their focus was entirely on the people immediately in front of them. Not once did either of them play to the cameras or even acknowledge them,” he observed.
He also drew a parallel to Philip’s own conduct: “Just as the Duke of Edinburgh, in more than 70 years of royal duty, never once put himself above, before, or ahead of his wife and sovereign.” Despite all this, Brandreth wrote, “Philip would take no credit for the successful way that Middleton has merged into royal life.” But in his view, “She appeared to have learnt all the lessons that Philip could have taught her.”