Kate Middleton’s defiant act when she joined Royal Family and plea William made to…
When Kate Middleton joined the Royal Family, she laid down the law, with husband William presenting her ‘terms’ to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles in early 2015, Palace insiders have said.
Kate and William announced their engagement in 2010, sharing the story of how Prince William proposed while the pair were vacationing in Kenya, using Princess Diana’s ring. He told the press during the ITV interview the touching gesture was “my way of keeping [my mother] sort of close to it all”.
On Friday, 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London, England, Kate became the newest member of the Royal Family, changing her life completely and ushering in a whole new set of responsibilities as a working royal.
But she did not just meekly accept her new burden, according to information shared by those close to the royals. According to Robert Jobson, author of a new Princess of Wales biography, ‘Catherine, the Princess of Wales: The biography’, Kate laid out some ground rules before getting started.
Writing in MailOnline the royal author said: “Before joining ‘the Firm’, she wisely established some fundamental rules. She wouldn’t be pigeon-holed into carrying out particular duties and insisted on eventually having her full quota of maternity leave, away from the glare of the media and public.”
He said Kate emphasised to senior royals that her priority would be maintaining a balance between taking on royal duties and fostering a happy family life. “This didn’t mean that she wouldn’t carry out royal duties; far from it,” Mr Jobson says. “But she wanted to offer her patronage only to charities close to her interests and delve into their purpose with in-depth study.
These ‘terms’ were, in fact, presented by William to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles in early 2015, when Catherine was pregnant with Charlotte. On her behalf, he explained that she wanted more space to grow into her role and needed more time to adapt to the peculiarities of royal life.”
Since then Kate has more than stepped up to her responsibilities both as a senior royal and in her job as a full-time loving mum to her three kids. She is known for playing peacemaker between her husband and King Charles, their relationship having improved markedly thanks to her gentle interventions.
In response to a question in that first engagement interview about whether she was nervous about having to fill the shoes of the late Diana, the former Princess of Wales, Kate replied “yes,” but since taking on the role it is clear she has made it her own and put her own unique stamp on her corner of the monarchy.
