"Never complain, never explain," is the Queen's unofficial motto for public life which the Duchess of Cambridge also practices.
While there's still time for Kate Middleton to become Queen Consort, she's preparing for her future role by learning from the best—Queen Elizabeth II.
"Catherine has learned by observing," the Queen's biographer Sally Bedell Smith told PEOPLE. "She knows what resonates. She will have absorbed a lot from this Queen." Middleton, 40, and the Queen, 96, have a 56-year age gap, but the similarities they share are quite fascinating.
They both are stoic, have a firm sense of loyalty and also tend to be extremely discreet. Along with their fierce commitment to the throne, they also keep their political opinions to themselves. Just like the Queen, Middleton also has a very controlled image in the public.
The Duchess of Cambridge also practices the Queen's unofficial motto for public life: "Never complain, never explain."
Given how the Queen isn't someone to hand down explicit "lessons," it is unlikely that the monarch has actually spent time tutoring her. But, historian Sarah Gristwood believes that the Queen may have approached Middleton in a similar way she does with prime ministers.
"The Queen has always preferred to do rather than to say," said the author of Elizabeth: Queen and Crown. "With her audiences with her prime ministers, if there has been actual advice, it would be a discreet 'I think that went rather well' rather than actual instruction."
While Middleton is a modern woman, she is still obedient to the family business's centuries-old hierarchy of control, otherwise known as "the firm."
"It's a personal willingness to conform to the requirements of the institution," said Gristwood. "That sounds like an unappealing, unglamorous virtue, but it's an important one if you're going to be a successful cog in the royal wheel."
Apart from all of the behavioral traits that Middleton has observed and learned from her husband's grandmother, she has also picked up a few fashion tricks. Middleton regularly wears jewels on loan, and of late, she has begun to dress in bright colors that make her stand out in the crowd; something that the Queen has been doing for decades, now.
The Queen "has this definitive style, almost like a uniform, which also works for Kate," a friend shared.
Also, her confidence and calmness were vividly visible during the recent Platinum Jubilee celebrations honoring the Queen, per Marie Claire.
According to body language expert Judi James, the body language of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made them “look like the future king and queen” and Middleton “looked quite firm as if she’s starting to take the lead.”
“She walked in first, waved to the crowds first,” James said. “She threw a glance in St. Paul’s at William, and she nodded her head forward like she was steeling him to do the walk out past his brother.”
“She seems to come into her own at events like this,” James said explaining how Middleton radiates confidence at events. “She takes over the regal presence without the Queen there.”
Well, Middleton surely is prepared for the future.
References:
https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/royals/kate-middleton-carries-self-future-queen/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Geoff Pugh - WPA Pool
