Royal author Ingrid Seward has said Princess Catherine holds the most pressurised role in the monarchy, in part because she had to follow Princess Diana in the position.
Pressure of following Diana
Speaking to The Royal Observer, Seward was asked whether Princess Catherine has the most pressurised role in the monarchy. She said she could not help but agree, especially given who had previously held the role.
Seward told The Royal Observer: "I think it probably is [the most pressurised], because also when you have to live up to the previous incumbent, which in this case was Diana, although Catherine said, 'I want to make the role my own', and she really had to. I think you are absolutely right."
Similar challenges to Diana
In her new book, Catherine & Diana: The Inside Story of how the Princesses of Wales Shaped the Modern Monarchy, Seward explains the similarities between the two princesses. She says Princess Catherine has faced many of the same challenges as Princess Diana did, including understanding royal protocol and dealing with the pressures of media interest in their lives.
Princess Catherine officially married into the Royal Family in 2011 and has supported the family's work since. Her role has grown considerably over the years, and she has begun taking on responsibilities traditionally associated with Queen Camilla. She will one day take the throne alongside Prince William when he becomes King.
Public popularity and private life
The princess consistently ranks highly in polls revealing the favourite members of the family, though in recent polls Prince William has slightly edged out Catherine as the most positively viewed royal.
Born on January 9, 1982, in Reading, England, Catherine Elizabeth Middleton was raised by her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, who worked respectively as a flight attendant and a flight dispatcher at British Airways.
With constant interest in the royals' lives, it can be hard for them to balance privacy and sharing their day-to-day with the world. In Divide and Rule: Royal Women and Their Battles, Catherine Mayer says some royals, such as Meghan Markle and Princess Diana, have either opted to share huge parts of their lives with the world or have chosen to push back against public interest. But others, such as Princess Catherine, have chosen to "hide in plain sight".
Mayer writes: "Kate's best and only defence - and an uncommon skill at which she excels - is to hide in plain sight." She adds: "Perhaps we could hail Kate as an unallowed royal success story."
