Princess Mary and Kate prove regal chops despite not being born into royalty
Mary Donaldson and Kate Middleton may have not been born into royalty, but through their power and influence they are shaping the futures of centuries-old institutions.
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They are the regal queens-in-waiting who have changed the faces of their respective monarchies despite being born commoners.
Mary Donaldson and Kate Middleton may have not been born into royalty or the aristocracy, but through their power and influence they are shaping the futures of their centuries-old institutions.
Composed, elegant and consistent in their actions, they have breathed new life into the British and Danish royal families and are both seen as the key to their respective firm’s survival.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
The similarities between Mary, 51, and Catherine, 42, go further than the merely physical and can be traced back to their childhoods.
Both grew up in middle-class families and thrived under the love and guidance of devoted parents.
Born to parents Michael, a former air traffic controller, and Carole Middleton, an ex-flight attendant, Catherine and her two siblings had an idyllic childhood in the village of Bucklebury, Berkshire.
As the success of her parents’ lucrative supplies business grew, the Middletons became wealthy and the family home was eventually upgraded to a $9 million mansion.
Mary, one of four siblings and the daughter of Scottish-born parents who both worked in academia, also came from a loving and stable home, growing up in the middle class suburb of Sandy Bay in Hobart.
CONFIDENTLY SPEAKING
From tentative beginnings, both Mary and Catherine have grown in confidence, surpassing the expectations of the doubters and critics.
Early in her marriage, the remarkable Crown Princess Mary, who will be proclaimed Queen of Denmark within days, dazzled the Danish public with her skill and fluency in speaking their language which is considered to be one Europe’s most difficult.
The Princess of Wales – who was once said to dread giving speeches – has mastered the art of public speaking and is now fronting her passion project, a task force devoted to early childhood development.
Sydney PR expert Phoebe Netto, founder of Pure Public Relations, said Princess Catherine had come into her own by developing a personal brand that was uniquely sophisticated yet maternal.
It is an image that the hugely driven, mother-of-four Mary has also echoed.
“When she started out, she needed to be a bit more of a chameleon. But she has determined what her focus will be and the issues that she clearly personally cares about,” Ms Netto said.
“She has such a stubborn, disciplined focus on those issues and she comes across as very driven and determined on those topics.
“She comes across sometimes as dull and not rocking the boat – she gets away with that because she is determined about those key issues.”
FASHIONABLE CHOICES
With their support of Danish and British fashion designers, both women have become global style icons who are adept at using clothing to make statements.
They are also good at reading the room and have made sustainability a key message when it comes to their clothing.
On one of her first appearances since her mother-in-law Queen Margrethe’s shock abdication, the Australian-born royal struck the right tone by donning a maroon velvet gown by Danish couturier Birgit Hallstein.
Mary has worn the gown at no fewer than four New Year’s Eve celebrations, the first in 2007.
The Princess of Wales has long been the queen of recycling when it comes to repurposing her most iconic looks.
Her flawless blending of High Street items with high-end designers has become a major talking point for fashion observers the world over.
WORK ETHIC AND CAUSES
Crown Princess Mary’s strong work ethic and commitment to charitable causes has earned her the respect of the Danish public.
Like Princess Catherine, the Australian-born royal is also blessed with the human touch, warming the heart of those she interacts with due to her kindness and empathy.
“Catherine has charm, beauty and poise,” royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said.
“Her charitable work is most significant, especially her studies about the early years of childhood and she has considerable influence on fashion.”
Mary set up an eponymous foundation in 2007 with a mission to focus on bullying and wellbeing, domestic violence and loneliness. An anti-bullying program developed by the foundation is now being used in more than half of all Danish schools.
Her advocacy for women’s rights was recognised in 2017 when she received the Womenomics Global Impact Award.
She’s also spoken up on sustainability and climate change, and lent her support to the global LGBTI+ organisation WorldPride. Some might see these causes as evidence of insufferable
wokeness, but in an interview with the Financial Times in 2022, Mary suggested the causes simply reflect mainstream values in Denmark.
“A monarchy exists in the time and the society that it is a part of, and Danes are progressive and innovative and freethinking,” she said.
And the WorldPride support? “I fundamentally believe that we all have the right to be who we are regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. Denmark is a strong voice on this issue, and I wanted to lend my voice to the cause.”
ROYAL SCANDALS
It has not all been plain sailing, however, for either princess. Catherine copped a drubbing for a PR blunder that saw her shake hands with Jamaican children through holes in a high wire fence during her Caribbean visit in March 2022.
Then there was Omid Scobie’s explosive tell-all Endgame, which alleged in a leaked translated Dutch version that Princess Catherine was one of the royals who commented on the skin colour of Meghan Markle’s then unborn child.
For Mary, allegations her husband was having an affair with a Mexican socialite – which prompted the woman involved to issue a furious denial and threats of legal action – thrust her 20-year marriage under the spotlight.
Ms Netto said the shock claims in Endgame had not appeared to affect Catherine’s standing and her dignified silence around the matter made the rumours seem “unimportant”.
“It says ‘I’m too busy doing something important to lower myself to all of the other chatter’.
“And because she’s not once done that, she set an expectation,” Ms Netto said.
“And there’s no point even trying. She’s too focused on these key areas and she can’t be distracted from those.
“Then there’s no point even trying to have her engage in all of the other conversation. It makes it seem unimportant.
Ms Netto said Prince Catherine and Prince William were proactive about their brand.
“Normally the problem with silence is that people will always fill the void and usually with the negative,” she said.
“So because they are being proactive about their brand and their approach, they are making sure that people don’t have room to make their own assumptions and new stories by giving the media and social media a consistent positive content to use.”
It is an approach that aides within the Danish Royal House will no doubt be echoing as Crown Princess Mary prepares to step up for her history-making role as Queen of Denmark.
Mr Fitzwilliams said: “(Catherine’s) trips abroad with William have, barring that trip to the Caribbean, been highly successful.
“She handles her work-life balance extremely well. She and William and their family are the monarchy’s future and it is in good hands.”
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