<p>Critics have disparaged the British royal house as a “fur-lined coffin,” but that doesn’t appear to bother Kate Middleton. The future princess has passed every test to become Prince William’s wife with aplomb. In contrast to Princess Diana, the commoner has a better chance of standing up to the intense pressure of royalty than the future king’s mother. Kate Middleton sought to come across with as much modesty and innocence as she could muster. “I don’t know the ropes really,” she said in her first television interview after the announcement of her engagement to Prince William in November. She spoke of the complicated public life of being a royal and of her enthusiasm for her future role.<br /><br />She wanted to sound as humble as Diana had. But no one who has watched her career would buy this show for a second. Unlike Diana, an overwhelmed kindergarten assistant who was caught like a deer in the headlights after her engagement, Middleton has already long been a professional princess -- seasoned both in her dealings with the not uncomplicated royal family and the paparazzi. She’s been together with Prince William for eight years and has had plenty of time to prepare for her future life. For years now, she has accompanied the prince to his official appointments and has also been photographed every step of the way.<br /><br />It is thus difficult to compare Kate directly with Diana. The starting position of both could hardly be any different. Diana was 20 years old in 1981 when she married Charles, a man she barely even knew. She herself admitted to being naive and inexperienced. She didn’t know what to expect. More than anything, though, she didn’t realize how cold life inside the palace could be. When Kate said “yes,” she was nine years older than Diana was at her wedding in 1981. And even if she hasn’t ever pursued a career, she does have a university education and is well-travelled. She had other boyfriends before William and she also kept her composure when the prince split up with her temporarily — a trial by fire. She got to know the infamous Windsors just as a normal person does when getting to know the family of their boyfriend. <br /><br />‘Kate is our good news girl’<br /><br />Still, comparing Kate with Diana is justified to a certain extent, because then, as now, the prince’s marriage is of existential importance to the monarchy. Like Diana, Kate will bring a new face and new life to an institution that many Brits view as hopelessly outmoded. <br /><br />She must serve as proof that the monarchy can still be attractive and capable of surviving in the 21st century. Kate is very popular, but expectations are also particularly high. That Middleton isn’t a blue blood doesn’t seem to harm the image of the royal family in any way, either. In fact it does just the opposite: It shows that the royals are capable of keeping up with the times. “Middle class Kate is just what The Firm needs,” royal biographer Penny Junor wrote in Britain’s ‘Daily Mail’ newspaper. No one is more delighted by this wedding than the PR advisors at Buckingham Palace. They have eagerly shared with reporters and the public how diplomats and other experts have been putting Middleton through a sort of high-level finishing school for her future as a royal.<br /><br />At the same time, Kate appears to do just fine on her own without any outside help. Kate plays the role of royal superstar so competently that the British gossip magazine Hello can barely contain its enthusiasm, writing that in only six months time, a “common girl” has transformed into a “perfect princess.” “Kate is our good news girl,” the magazine recently wrote, expressing exactly what is expected of Middleton. The girl for good news — and beautiful pictures, of course. The precise areas where Diana failed to meet expectations. Appearances and reality drifted too far apart in Diana’s life. And the question now is how well Kate will deal with the pressure. Some observers already claim to see the first signs of emaciation, but others play down the issue.<br /><br />After the wedding, the stress levels will fall again. The couple will withdraw after their honeymoon to the cottage William has rented on the island of Anglesey in Wales and they will lead simple lives as a rescue pilot and a housewife. That, at least is the plan — at least as conceived by William, who wants to spare Kate from the fate experienced by his mother. But it won’t be long before the public finds them. The people want photos and Miss Perfect will have to deliver. You aren’t allowed to hide — that’s the deal with the royals.<br /><br />Widespread public enthusiasm<br /><br />Some people are even baffled by the idea that a modern young woman in today’s Great Britain might voluntarily place herself in the golden cage of royalty. Of course, if William is the man of her life, then she is going to want to marry him. But is a prince from this dysfunctional family really a good choice? “It’s not too late Kate,” Kevin MacKenzie, the former editor-in-chief of the tabloid Sun recently wrote. “Run for the open spaces and ignore the fur-lined coffin.” Feminists began shaking their heads in dismay just as soon as the engagement was announced. It was insulting to them that Middleton had to wait eight years before her prince finally offered her a ring and, worse yet, that she has no clear ambitions of her own. What kind of message does that send to young women? But the feminists have misjudged public sentiment. Despite all the terrible examples, it appears that even today, that the idea of becoming a princess isn’t attractive only to little girls. That’s the only way of explaining the widespread public enthusiasm for this wedding.<br /><br />In the days running up to Friday’s wedding, Middleton mania had become so unstoppable that even London Mayor Boris Johnson, well-known for his quips, couldn’t resist a sarcastic jab. “An overwhelming consensus has been reached that Kate Middleton is not only beautiful, but nice and kind and sweet-natured and charming and hellishly discreet,” said Johnson.The strong resonance for her possible successor to the throne must be pleasing for the Queen — after all, the monarchy profits from the tide of positive public sentiment. But Middleton should heed the lesson of those who have married into the Windsor family before her — the higher her star rises, the further her fall could be.</p>
<p>Critics have disparaged the British royal house as a “fur-lined coffin,” but that doesn’t appear to bother Kate Middleton. The future princess has passed every test to become Prince William’s wife with aplomb. In contrast to Princess Diana, the commoner has a better chance of standing up to the intense pressure of royalty than the future king’s mother. Kate Middleton sought to come across with as much modesty and innocence as she could muster. “I don’t know the ropes really,” she said in her first television interview after the announcement of her engagement to Prince William in November. She spoke of the complicated public life of being a royal and of her enthusiasm for her future role.<br /><br />She wanted to sound as humble as Diana had. But no one who has watched her career would buy this show for a second. Unlike Diana, an overwhelmed kindergarten assistant who was caught like a deer in the headlights after her engagement, Middleton has already long been a professional princess -- seasoned both in her dealings with the not uncomplicated royal family and the paparazzi. She’s been together with Prince William for eight years and has had plenty of time to prepare for her future life. For years now, she has accompanied the prince to his official appointments and has also been photographed every step of the way.<br /><br />It is thus difficult to compare Kate directly with Diana. The starting position of both could hardly be any different. Diana was 20 years old in 1981 when she married Charles, a man she barely even knew. She herself admitted to being naive and inexperienced. She didn’t know what to expect. More than anything, though, she didn’t realize how cold life inside the palace could be. When Kate said “yes,” she was nine years older than Diana was at her wedding in 1981. And even if she hasn’t ever pursued a career, she does have a university education and is well-travelled. She had other boyfriends before William and she also kept her composure when the prince split up with her temporarily — a trial by fire. She got to know the infamous Windsors just as a normal person does when getting to know the family of their boyfriend. <br /><br />‘Kate is our good news girl’<br /><br />Still, comparing Kate with Diana is justified to a certain extent, because then, as now, the prince’s marriage is of existential importance to the monarchy. Like Diana, Kate will bring a new face and new life to an institution that many Brits view as hopelessly outmoded. <br /><br />She must serve as proof that the monarchy can still be attractive and capable of surviving in the 21st century. Kate is very popular, but expectations are also particularly high. That Middleton isn’t a blue blood doesn’t seem to harm the image of the royal family in any way, either. In fact it does just the opposite: It shows that the royals are capable of keeping up with the times. “Middle class Kate is just what The Firm needs,” royal biographer Penny Junor wrote in Britain’s ‘Daily Mail’ newspaper. No one is more delighted by this wedding than the PR advisors at Buckingham Palace. They have eagerly shared with reporters and the public how diplomats and other experts have been putting Middleton through a sort of high-level finishing school for her future as a royal.<br /><br />At the same time, Kate appears to do just fine on her own without any outside help. Kate plays the role of royal superstar so competently that the British gossip magazine Hello can barely contain its enthusiasm, writing that in only six months time, a “common girl” has transformed into a “perfect princess.” “Kate is our good news girl,” the magazine recently wrote, expressing exactly what is expected of Middleton. The girl for good news — and beautiful pictures, of course. The precise areas where Diana failed to meet expectations. Appearances and reality drifted too far apart in Diana’s life. And the question now is how well Kate will deal with the pressure. Some observers already claim to see the first signs of emaciation, but others play down the issue.<br /><br />After the wedding, the stress levels will fall again. The couple will withdraw after their honeymoon to the cottage William has rented on the island of Anglesey in Wales and they will lead simple lives as a rescue pilot and a housewife. That, at least is the plan — at least as conceived by William, who wants to spare Kate from the fate experienced by his mother. But it won’t be long before the public finds them. The people want photos and Miss Perfect will have to deliver. You aren’t allowed to hide — that’s the deal with the royals.<br /><br />Widespread public enthusiasm<br /><br />Some people are even baffled by the idea that a modern young woman in today’s Great Britain might voluntarily place herself in the golden cage of royalty. Of course, if William is the man of her life, then she is going to want to marry him. But is a prince from this dysfunctional family really a good choice? “It’s not too late Kate,” Kevin MacKenzie, the former editor-in-chief of the tabloid Sun recently wrote. “Run for the open spaces and ignore the fur-lined coffin.” Feminists began shaking their heads in dismay just as soon as the engagement was announced. It was insulting to them that Middleton had to wait eight years before her prince finally offered her a ring and, worse yet, that she has no clear ambitions of her own. What kind of message does that send to young women? But the feminists have misjudged public sentiment. Despite all the terrible examples, it appears that even today, that the idea of becoming a princess isn’t attractive only to little girls. That’s the only way of explaining the widespread public enthusiasm for this wedding.<br /><br />In the days running up to Friday’s wedding, Middleton mania had become so unstoppable that even London Mayor Boris Johnson, well-known for his quips, couldn’t resist a sarcastic jab. “An overwhelming consensus has been reached that Kate Middleton is not only beautiful, but nice and kind and sweet-natured and charming and hellishly discreet,” said Johnson.The strong resonance for her possible successor to the throne must be pleasing for the Queen — after all, the monarchy profits from the tide of positive public sentiment. But Middleton should heed the lesson of those who have married into the Windsor family before her — the higher her star rises, the further her fall could be.</p>
