Over the years many fans have compared Prince William‘s wife the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton) to his late mother Princess Diana. Kate is of course aware of those comparisons and was asked about the pressures of trying to live up to Diana during her first joint interview with William after they announced their engagement. Kate answered journalist Tom Bradby’s question about following in Diana’s footsteps admitting that she did feel intimidated by that.
Now the late princess’s former aide is claiming that Kate “won’t ever be Diana” but “she doesn’t want to be.”
Former Palace staffer gives reason why Kate ‘will never be Princess Diana’
Paul Burrell began working in the royal household when he was 18 years old and served as Queen Elizabeth II‘s personal footman. In 1987, he was moved to the household of then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana. After they separated Burrell stayed on the staff as the princess’s butler and was one of Diana’s closest confidants before her death in 1997.
The princess’s former employee weighed in with his take about all the comparisons between the two women and while he does see similarities, he cautioned that “Kate will never be Diana.”
Speaking on behalf of Slingo Burrell said: “Diana was one of the first people that actually bent down to speak to people, and I see that in Kate. I see her speaking to people on their level and that’s what Diana introduced into the royal family. That’s a classic example of Kate following her mother-in-law by having that common touch.
“She will never be Diana, but she doesn’t want to be because nobody could ever match Diana. She was unique and a one-off but I think Kate will be a close second. She is the jewel in our crown: if there wasn’t Kate it would all collapse. She has worked tirelessly, never put a foot wrong, and is a great role model for women.”
Burrell elaborated on the similarities Kate has adopted and continues to adopt from her late mother-in-law over time.
He said: “I see her adopting her mother-in-law’s style. I see the clean, simple lines and the professional execution of her outfits which are costumes for a world stage. I see Kate adopting Diana’s clean, elegant, professional classic style that she had towards the end of her life, not the fussiness in the 80s.
“As Kate matures I see that similarity even more. I see the solid colors, I see the hat away from her face so people can see her. I see her growing into her role as a queen in waiting. That’s what we are watching.”
