Kate Middleton Almost Declined the ‘Princess of Wales’ Title for a Heartbreaking Reason

According to a new biography of the princess, Kate was “stressed” about one day inheriting the title following her marriage to William.

After the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, Kate Middleton—like her husband, Prince William—received a new title. After 11 years as the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate was bestowed the title Princess of Wales, which is reserved for the heir to the British throne or the heir’s spouse.

However, according to Robert Jobson, author of a new biography titled, Catherine, The Princess of Wales: A Biography of the Future Queen, the 42-year-old almost turned down the title. According to an excerpt published in the Daily Mail, Jobson writes that after Kate Middleton married William in 2011, she was apprehensive to use the title given how closely it was associated with her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana.

“In marrying the elder son of Prince Charles, Catherine was aware she’d one day have to tread in her late mother-in-law’s footsteps—but the prospect of becoming the Princess of Wales held little appeal,” Jobson writes. “She knew she’d inevitably be compared with Diana, whose untimely death had provoked such a tsunami of anger and grief. And she was right.”

Diana and Kate both wore red while leaving the hospital after giving birth.

Both in the tabloids and even in the royal household, Jobson notes, Kate was compared relentlessly to Diana. “Kate found all such talk stressful,” he writes. “Indeed, it got to the point where she felt she might follow Camilla (who opted to become Duchess of Cornwall) in refusing—when the time came—to be known as HRH Princess of Wales.” (Eight years after Princess Diana’s death in 1997, Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles. Notably, Camilla declined to use the title Princess of Wales; instead, she went by the Duchess of Cornwall. She is now, of course, the Queen Consort, and goes by Queen Camilla.)

However, per Jobson, Kate Middleton accepted her new title when the time came out of respect for both her husband and his father, King Charles III. “Enough time had passed to make the title more palatable, and Catherine had been on the world stage long enough to be appreciated for her own qualities,” he says.

Kate often wears a pair of sapphire earrings, which once belonged to Diana.

Jobson goes on to highlight their differences—from their educations to their relationships with their husbands; however, Kate is like her late mother-in-law in a very visible way. Kate often pays homage to Diana through her fashion choices. It’s unclear if it’s always intentional, but the princess is often photographed wearing patterns, colors, and silhouettes that were beloved by her predecessor. It helps too that she’s inherited much of Diana’s jewelry collection. Even her engagement ring belonged to the late princess, and, notably, it “fit perfectly” without alteration when William proposed.

If Diana were still alive, surely she’d be proud that Kate followed in her footsteps as the Princess of Wales. At the very least, she’d applaud her style.