William is determined his bride won’t struggle the way his mother Diana did when she married into ‘the Firm’.
When Kate Middleton stepped through the door of Clarence House on Tuesday, November 16, as a newly engaged royal fiancee, she wasn’t exactly entering a whole new world. Prince William had made certain her preparation to become a princess started more than a year ago.
Mindful of the way an unprepared Princess Diana was thrown into court life, carrying out official duties even before her wedding, William wants Kate to have a much easier transition into her royal role than his mother did.
He has decided she will not be involved in any public engagements ithout him for a considerable time, and that she will spend most of her days at their secluded farmhouse in Anglesey, Wales, where she can quietly adjust to her new position.
Perhaps more than anyone else, William understands the pressures on a new princess and is anxious to shield Kate as much as possible from the world’s scrutiny while she learns the ropes.
He also long ago gave her a clear idea of what her future would be like, “in case she wanted to back out”, as he put it. Weekends at Prince Charles’s private residences, Highgrove in Gloucestershire and Birkhall at Balmoral, as well as attending the odd party at Windsor Castle, has given her a lot of insight into the way the House of Windsor works.
Read the full five page exclusive report in this week’s Woman’s Day!
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