Kate Middleton almost refused to take on the Princess of Wales title after fearing she would be compared to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana.
Kate was given the title when King Charles ascended to the throne following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. When Charles became King, he almost immediately made Kate's husband Prince William the Prince of Wales, which in turn made Kate the Princess of Wales.
However, Kate was worried she would draw comparisons to Diana, who was the last person to be given the Princess of Wales title before Kate. Diana sadly died at the age of 36 in 1997, with her death sending shockwaves around the world.
Writing in the bombshell new book Catherine, The Princess of Wales: The Biography, author Robert Jobson claimed Kate once believed she would turn down the title. "Catherine was aware she'd one day have to tread in her late mother-in-law's footsteps—but the prospect of becoming the Princess of Wales held little appeal," he wrote in an extract obtained by the Daily Mail.
"She knew she'd inevitably be compared with Diana, whose untimely death had provoked such a tsunami of anger and grief. And she was right. The similarities and differences between the two women were dissected ad infinitum and even discussed in the royal household."
Jobson said Kate found "all such talk stressful". He said: "It got to the point where she felt she might follow Camilla." Queen Camilla opted to become the Duchess of Cornwall when she married Charles, turning down the Princess of Wales title.
William shot back: "There's no pressure, because like Kate said it is about carving your own future. No one is going to try to fill my mother's shoes.
"What she did was fantastic. It's about making your own future and your own destiny, and Kate will do a very good job of that."
