Princess Kate considered refusing the title upgrade from Duchess of Cambridge to Princess of Wales after finding consistent comparisons with her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, "stressful" a new biography has said.
When King Charles III acceded to the throne in September 2022, one of his first official acts was to make his elder son, Prince William, the new Prince of Wales, a title Charles had held for more than five decades. The title is one traditionally held by the eldest son of the monarch, with their wives taking on the courtesy title of Princess of Wales.
In an extract of a new biography, Robert Jobson, a veteran royal author, has said that prior to taking on the historic title, Kate considered declining it.
"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 wrote in an extract of Catherine, the Princess of Wales, which has been published by the Daily Mail.
"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. The similarities and differences between the two women were dissected ad infinitum, and even discussed in the royal household," Jobson continued.
The author said that the constant comparisons placed stress on Kate, who briefly considered declining the Princess of Wales title to distance herself from them.
"Kate found all such talk stressful," he wrote. "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."
Newsweek has contacted Kensington Palace for comment via email.
Kate, who was introduction to the public as William's girlfriend in the early 2000s before the couple married in 2011, has been constantly compared by the press and public to Diana, who held the title of Princess of Wales after marrying Charles in 1981. She retained its use in a slightly altered form even after they divorced in 1996.
When Camilla married Charles in 2005, she legally took on a number of his titles, including the courtesy title of Princess of Wales. She never used the title publicly or privately, as it was closely linked to Diana.
Instead, Camilla, who is now queen, was known officially by her second-highest ranking title at the time: Duchess of Cornwall. Her decision set a precedent that Kate could have followed. When William became first in line to inherit the throne following his father's accession, he also became the new Duke of Cornwall, with Kate as his duchess.
Kate did not follow Camilla's path. In 2022, when Charles announced that he had made William the Prince of Wales, he made it clear that Kate would be his princess.
"With Catherine beside him, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to bring the marginal to the center ground where vital help can be given," he said in his first address to the nation as monarch.
Kate has publicly addressed the comparisons between herself and Diana only once in any depth, during her engagement interview in 2010.
Interviewer Tom Bradby asked a newly engaged Kate: "William's mother was this massive iconic figure. The most famous figure of our age. Is that worrying? Is that intimidating? Do you think about that?"
"Well, obviously I would have loved to have met her," Kate responded. "She's obviously—she's an inspirational woman to look up to."
At that point, William made it clear that his fiancee was under no personal pressure to fill the void left by his mother, who died in 1997.
"There's no pressure though," he said. "There's no pressure, because like Kate said it is about carving your own future. No one is going to try to fill my mother's shoes. What she did was fantastic. It's about making your own future and your own destiny, and Kate will do a very good job of that."
Catherine, the Princess of Wales by Robert Jobson is set to be published in the U.S. by Pegasus Books on August 6.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
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