As royal experts would say, it is a job not for the weak at heart.
When Kate Middleton was first dating Prince William, Queen Elizabeth II expressed her concerns about her not having her own “identity.” Some of the monarch’s grave concerns included the fact that she may not be aware of the responsibilities of marrying into the royal family.
The Challenge on Kate
Kate Middleton did not appear to have much work ethics, and this caused the Queen to worry. In fact, she earned the title “Waity Kaitey” because she seemed like she was just waiting for Prince William to make a move and all will be well.
Katie Nicholl, a royal expert and author of the book “The Making of Romance” released in 201, revealed that the Queen had intervened in the relationship two years before their engagement. She wanted to make sure that Kate got a job before she married into the family.
Nicholl wrote in her book, “Privately (The Queen) believed that Kate needed to work to build an identity of her own before any engagement was announced.”
The Queen is one of the most hardworking royals even at her age. “She wants to make sure that any future member of the Royal Family should have a full-time job because not working was completely unacceptable,” Nicholl said.
Kate was advised by the palace to take on some charity work. That was when she started working with terminally ill children with Starlight. Alongside that, Kate also worked at Jigsaw, a fashion house, before she moved to work on their family business, Party Pieces.
Silencing Meghan
Meghan Markle, on the other hand, was a complete contrast as she was a full-time actress and a vocal activist for many years before she met and married Prince Harry. In fact, she has voiced out her stand on various issues, particularly on women empowerment. At some point, she was appointed as a UN Women’s advocate.
The Duchess of Sussex, back then, was also known to speak openly about politics and even branded President Donald Trump as “Divisive” and “Misogynistic” in 2016.
Paul Burrell, the former butler to Princess Diana, revealed that Meghan was asked to “tone down” her beliefs. In an interview with the Royal Box of Yahoo U.K., Burrell said that “What comes with maturity is a set of beliefs and they do not sit well with the Royal Family.”
Burrell further revealed that Meghan was asked to toe the party line and keep her opinions to herself.
Clearly, Kate was asked to step up her work and build her individual identity while Meghan (who was strong-willed from the beginning) was asked to get in line and be less outspoken.
Many have compared the Duchess of Cambridge to the Duchess of Sussex and how truly different they have become when they both married into the royal family. Although many speculations have been said about the relationship of Kate to Meghan, people who have worked closely with them could only speak of how different they are.
With the huge difference from the advice they received before they married into the royal family, the two women could only do so much. Was it unfair to Meghan to be told to speak less? It truly depends. At the end of the day, the royal family only wants the best for its members and constituents.