Kate Middleton has landed on her feet as the monarchy’s brightest star, and Prince William is clearly enjoying the view.
“It’s not just about duty,” British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital. “Prince William is not only proud, but he is smitten. He watches Princess Catherine and lights up. After more than a decade of marriage and three children, he is still completely enchanted by her.”
“Few marriages have deepened in public admiration the way theirs has,” Chard said. “They have achieved something very difficult — they have carved out a private life that works, and a public life that works. That balance is a great success.”
Chard’s comments came shortly after former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told The Mirror that the Prince and Princess of Wales have emerged as a power couple for the royal family, with Kate as its crown jewel.
“William and Catherine definitely have the wow factor that Diana had — and which spawned Di-mania,” Bond told the outlet. “People today are equally mesmerized by the new Princess of Wales, so tall, so elegant and so chatty, but William just seems to purr with pride that his wife is such a star.”
Christopher Andersen, author of “Kate!,” agreed.
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“The British people adore Kate in the same way they adored Princess Diana, the daughter-in-law she never met,” Andersen told Fox News Digital. “But rather than be jealous of his wife the way King Charles was jealous of Diana’s popularity, William is more than content to let Kate shine. In fact, there are times when he is perfectly happy to bask in her reflected glory.”
“Kate has been William’s rock for a quarter-century, and vice versa,” Andersen continued. “What they have is the real thing. And I think Kate’s cancer battle gave them a whole new perspective on life and a renewed appreciation of each other. It’s all well and good to be proper and stiff in that British way, but why go to such lengths to hide their deep affection for each other? The spontaneous hugs, the loving looks — why wouldn’t William be bursting with pride?”
“Kate continues to prove she is the royal family’s Mary Poppins — ‘practically perfect in every way,'” Andersen added.
Bond told the Mirror that while William is “pretty dashing and gets his fair share of crowd worship,” his reaction to Kate’s popularity contrasts sharply with that of his parents.
During the king’s marriage to the late Princess of Wales, royal watchers and photographers would clamor just to get a glimpse of her. Reports over the years have said Charles struggled with the attention Diana received.
In her controversial 1995 “Panorama” interview, Diana recalled a royal tour in 1983, saying, “We’d be going round Australia, for instance, and all you could hear was, ‘Oh, she’s on the other side.'”
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“Now, if you’re a man like my husband, a proud man, you mind about that if you hear it every day for four weeks,” Diana said. “And you feel low about it, instead of feeling happy and sharing it.”
Diana said it caused “a lot of jealousy” and that “complicated situations arose because of that.” Charles and Diana separated in 1992, and their divorce was finalized in 1996, a year before she died at age 36.
“Luckily, William doesn’t seem to suffer the same jealousy that his father did when Diana was the darling of the crowds,” Bond said.
Following Kate’s May visit to Italy, William said he was “very, very proud” of her.
“Rather than Prince William being jealous, his delight regarding her success is palpable,” British royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital. “Part of his joy is no doubt due to her strengthening the monarchy rather than detracting from it. His admiration for her is visible via his adoring glances and his general ease with her popularity.”
“They have a jolly competitive spirit due to their love of sports, but they are also totally united,” Fordwich said. “It’s brilliant, both for their marriage and for the future of the monarchy.”
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William and Kate first met as students at the University of St Andrews. They became friends before their romance blossomed. In 2007, the couple split, with William later saying, “It was very much trying to find our own way, and we were growing up.” They got back together that same year, and William proposed in 2010. They married in 2011.
The Prince and Princess of Wales are parents to three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. William is heir to the throne.
“He doesn’t just see a wife,” Chard said. “He sees the perfect future queen. Someone who can live in relative privacy while being in the public eye, which is exactly what the monarchy needs to survive. They also genuinely still adore each other. It’s not performed for cameras.”
“The public held a torch for Diana as they do for Princess Catherine now,” Chard said. “William is also loved, but together, they have something more powerful than individual star power. He knows how valuable she is.”
Chard also said William wants his wife to shine and feel confident in her royal role.
“He loves the fact that she is loved,” Chard said. “He is in awe. It reminds him, in the best way, of the love his late mother received from the public. When he watches a crowd reach for Catherine, he doesn’t see a rival for attention. He sees the woman he loves being adored, and he adores her all the more for it.”
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Royal watchers told Fox News Digital that Kate has grown increasingly confident in her role as she supports the king. Charles has continued carrying out royal duties following his cancer diagnosis. Andersen said Kate will be ready when the time comes for her to take on a greater role.
“William and Kate are doing their very demanding jobs with a smile, and that is largely due to Kate’s innate positivity,” Andersen said. “It’s not overstating things to say the Princess of Wales is a force of nature, and every day William is reminded of that.”
