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Kate Middleton and Princess Diana confronted similar battles three decades apart, but their respective outcomes highlight their different personalities. Although she seems quite the natural at the job, it’s worth recalling that long before the world knew she existed, Kate was simply a commoner working towards her dreams and aspirations much like anyone else. She began her royal sojourn following her marriage to her husband Prince William in 2011, and has since risen to the top of the royal fold, wielding an impressive global influence. After all, she remains the wife of the future king, and mom to his three children, including his heir Prince George.
Like Kate, the infamous People’s Princess Diana had her non-royal beginnings, only having her brush with royalty after her wedding to King Charles. While welcoming sons Prince William and Prince Harry surely contributed to cementing her place in royal history, even after her divorce, the late Princess of Wales had to face many battles, with her resilient spirit shaping most of them.
Kate Middleton And Princess Diana Had Similar Pregnancy Experiences
Among the subtler battles she encountered is the very relatable dilemma of choosing baby names for her kids after their births. Every parent could relate to the initial excitement of childbirth and endless debates before agreeing on the ideal name for the newborn.
In Princess Diana’s case, she reportedly “set her heart” on William and Harry during respective pregnancies. However, her husband, then-Prince Charles favored “A” names for his kids, insisting on monickers like “Arthur” and “Albert” in honor of his royal ancestors like the legendary King Arthur. According to InStyle, the late Princess of Wales stood her ground, until they reached a concession. Finally, Diana and Charles compromised with names that reflected both their choices. Hence, they Christened their kids William Arthur Philip Louis and Henry “Harry” Charles Albert David respectively. Yet, Diana’s preferences came to stick, and her kids go by the names William and Harry to date.
Kate Middleton encountered a similar royal dilemma as Princess Diana years later when she fell pregnant with her first son. A resurfaced report shows that Kate, like her mother-in-law, favored a different name from her husband. Per the report, the 43-year-old wanted to name her son Alexander in honor of the late Queen Elizabeth, who has the middle name Alexandra. Perhaps Kate did not stand firmly enough as her husband, who favored the name, George, eventually had his way.
Why Kate and Diana Were Similar Yet So Different
This varying outcome in their battle over royal baby names with their husbands highlights the contrasting personalities of both women. Although both lived in different times, royal fans have long compared their personalities and approach to life, speculating on whether or not the duo would have gotten along if Diana lived long enough to meet her daughter-in-law. While some believe the two would have forged a great bond, at least for the sake of William, others believe their personalities differed too much, which may have left them at loggerheads throughout their royal sojourn together. One netizen attempted to analyze this further by creating instances that could drive a wedge between them, writing on Reddit,
“I think she [Diana] planned to always remain extremely close to William so that she could influence the future Prince of Wales and then King, if she lived that long. Any wife would pull William away from Diana so that’s one strike against Kate. Another one is that Diana was a consummate aristocrat and I believe she wouldn’t have wanted William to marry a commoner, and she would always privately consider herself better than Kate. Strike two.”
Of course, these are mere speculations from wistful fans with their sparse knowledge about the royal family. Hence, while the two ladies had things in common with their respective royal baby name dilemmas and their pre-royal lives as commoners, speculating on the would-have-been relationship between Diana and her daughter-in-law may be overstepping the mark.
