Catherine expressed reservations about taking the Princess of Wales title, due to its close association with Princess Diana, a new book has claimed.
A new biography, by royal author Russell Myers, William and Catherine, The Monarchy’s New Era: The Inside Story, has revealed previous concerns that the future Queen had.
King Charles had discussed his plans in the years leading up to taking the throne, but Mr Myers’ book claims that the princess was reluctant to accept the title at first.
“Courtiers said that while Catherine had a full appreciation of the history associated with the role, she was determined to find her own path,” he wrote.
Catherine had reservations about taking the Princess of Wales title due to Princess Diana
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“But Catherine had also privately expressed to William and to Charles her reservations about taking over the title, conscious of the British public’s exceptional feeling for, and connection to, Princess Diana even 25 years after her death.”
A former senior aide to the royal couple revealed: “This tells you how considered she is.
“She is benevolent with her intentions, but also wishes to carve out her own role for both herself and her family, which in many ways looks very different to how generations of royals have acted in the past.
“She is very aware the pace that she wants to progress and the way in which she sees her future role within the institution, and I think when she was convinced to take the title on, and there was a bit of convincing, she felt that while there would be inevitable comparisons with Diana.
“She could manage it in her own way while having full respect for the way Diana carved out a very different role for herself within the Royal Family.
“When they took their new titles, a source told People that the couple were focused on: “deepening the trust and respect of the people of Wales over time.
The Prince and Princess of Wales wanted to deepen the trust with the Welsh people
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“The Prince and Princess of Wales will approach their roles in the modest and humble way they’ve approached their work previously.
The book also deals with how William and Catherine navigated her cancer diagnosis, with close friends revealing the prince was deeply affected by the news.
They said: “It was like being hit by a bus, sudden, brutal, and completely disorienting. One moment life was normal, and the next, everything changed.
A close aide revealed they “very calmly told the children what was going on and how long Catherine would need to be away for, but explained other than that everything would continue as normal and when she came home, she would need to rest up for a bit”.
During her hospital stay, Catherine stayed connected with her family through video calls from her bedside, checking on the children’s school activities and enquiring whether their father had been managing to cook for them.
William faced the additional challenge of caring for the children at Adelaide Cottage, where the family has no live-in staff.
A close friend revealed the cancer diagnosis hit the couple like a bus
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Away from his children, however, the prince was “incredibly pensive”, according to insiders.
The close friend’s account painted a picture of profound emotional devastation: “He worships her, truly. She’s his world, and when the diagnosis came, it was as if the ground beneath him vanished.”