The Duchess of Cambridge: Will she become more popular than Diana?

[HRH Kerry]

Do you actually think Will as the future king will be able to lead a quiet life? Regardless if he represents Britain with class, I just don't think that is possible. We're talking about the most famous royal house in the world. I don't see Wills becoming king well into his fifties but much earlier. I think the media will not let them be a low key couple since they will probably still be relatively young when ascending to the throne. (Provided that Kate is indeed Wills wife.) I think that if Kate is a young Queen, her popularity will rival if not surpass that of Diana's.

 

[branchg]

William will never have a "quiet" life unless the monarchy is abolished. He is a future King with a lifetime of duty ahead of him.

This speculation about Kate Middleton is premature at best. They are a long way off from a marriage and there are many obstacles to overcome before they could marry.

I predict William will not marry her.

 

[Laviollette]

Whoever he decides to marry I believe Wills and his wife will be low key because he doesn't have the personality that allows him to be a media spectacle. No one would have guessed that he would have had such a private life after the death of his mother. The whole world turned to him to somehow carry on this media nightmare his mother mastered so well. He has refused to be a media star or celebrity. He likes having control over his life without excessive intrusion from the press.

 

[Toledo]

William will never have a "quiet" life unless the monarchy is abolished. He is a future King with a lifetime of duty ahead of him.

This speculation about Kate Middleton is premature at best. They are a long way off from a marriage and there are many obstacles to overcome before they could marry.

I predict William will not marry her.

If there was no monarchy tomorrow the Windsors will still be selling magazines with them on the cover, much like the Kennedys.

I trust he will marry her, she has been with him during the good times and the bad times, she has kept herself away from any scandals and, they live together, don't they? So, they are husband and wife in everything but name. And the best part, they also seem to be each other's best friend. His life cannot get any better than that.
On the question on Kate and Diana, the late Princess has left the world to become a woman of legend. That's a line from a movie/DVD I recently saw, The Lion in Winter, when the King describes his first meeting with wife Eleanor of Aquitaine. Diana is that, a legend like Grace Kelly, Jackie Kennedy, Farah Pahlavi and Soraya. They are in a completely another scale.
Kate will do fine, and with time, she could also become legendary for the people who will read about her decades from now.

 

[xtan]

yeah, for all of diana's faults, most of us consider her a legend and kate at the moment cannot be compared to her

 

[wymanda]

I hope not, because I don't want to see her or any other girl treated by the press the way Diana was.

Whilst I agree with you; Diana used the media for her own ends and they just seized the opportunity.
I feel sorry for Kate or any other girl who considers marrying either William or Harry. The press, and the public, are constantly going to compare them to Diana and they will never be pretty enough, thin enough, good enough or compassionate enough to live up to the idealised perspective of Diana from those who thought they knew her but never had to live with her.

 

[Laraib]

yeah, for all of diana's faults, most of us consider her a legend and kate at the moment cannot be compared to her

Thank-you. Diana was and still is a legend. She just isn't a memory, she is a smell that still lingers on. Diana was a picture that didn't need a frame to be beautiful, Kate on the other hand can't be compared to any of it.

 

[BeatrixFan]

Would she want to be compared to Diana? When at any point has she said she wants to be the next Diana? When at any point has she said, "I must fill the shoes of Diana"? I don't like the girl but please, this is just getting too much.

 

[Eliza]

I think if William should end up marrying Kate - the press will naturally try to do some sort of comparisson. That being said, i think it's wrong for anyone to try to compare Kate to Diana. They are two different people living in two different vastly different worlds the only think they'll ever have in common would be they both married into the British RF and a Prince of Wales.

Kate wouldn't be more or less popular than Diana - her situation will be completely different, Kate should be judge and admire on her own merits and grounds. Neither Diana, Kate nor William would want such comparission.

 

[Avalon]

Would she want to be compared to Diana? When at any point has she said she wants to be the next Diana? When at any point has she said, "I must fill the shoes of Diana"? I don't like the girl but please, this is just getting too much.

She certainly didn't express that wish and if she is in her right mind, she will never do so. But she's just bound to be compared to late Diana. If she is compared now, when she is only dating William, can you imagine what will happen when/if she marries Prince William.
I must say I do like her. She is a good soulmate and friend for Prince William AND the woman he loves. I do think they are good couple!

 

[Incas]

If Kate marries William, comparisons about looks and popularity will pale in comparison of the success of their marriage to that of his parents. A great many people believed in a fairytale back in 1981. I think there will be enormous scrutiny on wether their match would be "true love".

 

[Mahoogie]

Yes, Iam sorry.

Iam sorry if anyone took that offensively.I don't know I guess I was trying to make a point and in turn conveyed the wrong idea. Sorry.

Its..ok..no need to appologize..

 

[Skydragon]

Would she want to be compared to Diana? When at any point has she said she wants to be the next Diana? When at any point has she said, "I must fill the shoes of Diana"? I don't like the girl but please, this is just getting too much.

What is there to compare.

Kate is a pretty, living, vibrant young woman. Diana isn't and if she had survived the accident would she have been popular now, with her looks gone through age?

 

[Toledo]

a woman out of legend...

...She just isn't a memory, she is a smell that still lingers on. Diana was a picture that didn't need a frame to be beautiful...

I read again my post, where I used the movie The Lion in Winter's quote 'a woman out of legend' to describe some of the above ladies incluiding Diana. I now noticed something peculiar. the names I came up with on that scale, Princess Diana, Queen Soraya of Iran, Princess Grace, First Lady Jackeline Kennedy and Empress Farah Pahlavi, are all associated with a sense of tragedy during their lives.
I guess to become a legend you have to suffer and overcome it, then became greater than you were before. Be it by maturity or by your deeds and actions in life. Kind of a martyr feeling that an unreachable person becomes more humane and admirable to our eyes based on her own path of pain and suffering, her own private hell. Each one of them lived through that had a sad ending to it all, except Empress Farah who is still alive and with hopes despite that the government Iran has never removed the price on her head if she is captured and brought back.

So, if personal pain is the path to become a legend, I hope Kate Middletown does not become one under those conditions. She and William deserve a life without so much pain, I don't wish that this young lady, Kate, goes through suffering in life just to be accepted by her critics.

 

[Skydragon]

None of them are 'legends'.
Legendary means a famous person who exists only in legend.
Legend is a traditional story or myth.

 

[Laviollette]

the pictures on isifa show that with the new clothes, she is possibly being groomed to be a princess. no matter how bland and boring some might think she is, she has a good chance of joing the BRF a William's wife because he seems to be very attached to her and they seem comfortable together. they may not be exciting but that's not a crime. also, she never has to be more popular than Diana worldwide just in Britain, and she will be especially if she makes William happy. the comparisons with his mother will not be like everyone thinks. people will want to give her a chance to be her own person. she can survive comparisons to Diana because those comparisons will end once she has her own image and we get used to seeing her by William's side, if they get married.

 

[ysbel]

I think the public has to have a need to create a legend around somebody before they become a legend. I'm not sure whether personal pain comes into play. Jackie Kennedy was a legend when she was in the White House and the problems in her marriage were not public. Princess Grace didn't experience real tragedy until her early death.

But there was a need felt by the American public to be recognized by the old European social establishment. Grace's marriage into an ancient titled principality and Jackie's social success in her tour of Europe with the President were considered a major victory for the American people as a nation.

I also think the creation of a legend requires that people suspend disbelief and accept a bit of fantasy but the public has to be in the right mood for that. Legends don't hold up too well to close scrutiny of the facts.

I'm not sure whether the world is ready to create a new legend nowadays.

 

[Shynes]

I highly doubt a women set to become a royal soon would buy their clothes at some regular shop right off the rack. Instead, I think, they'd probably privately consult with a designer to custom make a few pieces for them.

 

[Laviollette]

I highly doubt a women set to become a royal soon would buy their clothes at some regular shop right off the rack. Instead, I think, they'd probably privately consult with a designer to custom make a few pieces for them.

Wherever she buys her clothes or however boring she or her clothes might be, she has a good chance of becoming a member of the BRF. William seems to like her just the way she is.

 

[Shynes]

^ William, obviously, likes her and I'm not disputing that. What I don't get, is how anyone could link a recent shopping trip of hers as a sign of her being "groomed" for becoming a princess.

 

[Laviollette]

^ William, obviously, likes her and I'm not disputing that. What I don't get, is how anyone could link a recent shopping trip of hers as a sign of her being "groomed" for becoming a princess.

I'd never link one event such as a shopping trip to someone becoming a princess. My opinion is based on several events, all of which have been discussed in the various threads about Kate.

 

[Shynes]

the pictures on isifa show that with the new clothes, she is possibly being groomed to be a princess. no matter how bland and boring some might think she is, she has a good chance of joing the BRF a William's wife because he seems to be very attached to her and they seem comfortable together. they may not be exciting but that's not a crime. also, she never has to be more popular than Diana worldwide just in Britain, and she will be especially if she makes William happy. the comparisons with his mother will not be like everyone thinks. people will want to give her a chance to be her own person. she can survive comparisons to Diana because those comparisons will end once she has her own image and we get used to seeing her by William's side, if they get married.

Your very first sentence... sorry, but what exactly were you trying to say then? lol

 

[Laviollette]

Your very first sentence... sorry, but what exactly were you trying to say then? lol

She has known PW for the past four years; they have been dating for at least two years; they are living together; she and her family have met PC; she has reportedly met the queen; she is invited on ski trips with the family; her boyfriend adores her; she is suitable; she is smart and a college grad. All of this doesn't mean she will marry PW for sure but it is my opinion that she very well might and I'm entitled to my opinion.

 

[princesslily]

Any girl that marries the future King will be as popular as Diana.

 

[Shynes]

She has known PW for the past four years; they have been dating for at least two years; they are living together; she and her family have met PC; she has reportedly met the queen; she is invited on ski trips with the family; her boyfriend adores her; she is suitable; she is smart and a college grad. All of this doesn't mean she will marry PW for sure but it is my opinion that she very well might and I'm entitled to my opinion.

You still haven't explained to me why you think her shopping is a sign of her being "groomed" for the royal family. Don't all defensive because I'm questioning you. lol

 

[Laviollette]

You still haven't explained to me why you think her shopping is a sign of her being "groomed" for the royal family. Don't all defensive because I'm questioning you. lol

I have explained. It's my opinion, you just haven't accepted it, which is your right. But I really don't care who William marries as long as it's not one of these screaming, social climbing, wanna-be princess girls who line the streets to scream and act crazy for someone they don't even know. I bet a lot of girls envy Kate. If she did marry William, she would deserve him. Shop, shop, shop, Kate!

 

[Shynes]

Yeah-okay... lol

 

[ysbel]

Let's cut the personal comments please and get back to the discussion.

ysbel
British forums moderator

 

[Toledo]

None of them are 'legends'.
Legendary means a famous person who exists only in legend.
Legend is a traditional story or myth.

I think the public has to have a need to create a legend around somebody before they become a legend...
...I also think the creation of a legend requires that people suspend disbelief and accept a bit of fantasy but the public has to be in the right mood for that. Legends don't hold up too well to close scrutiny of the facts. I'm not sure whether the world is ready to create a new legend nowadays.

I think it was my fault on not making clear my observation.
I used a quote of a favorite movie of mine I recently saw again on DVD, The Lion in Winter to describe the ladies above. To be more precise I even found the script online and review it but my use of the "woman out of legend" quote deserves a little explanation since it was misunderstood.


By legend I was not refering to fables or myth more more in the sense of what is described as methaphor in the movie itself. The movie, The Lion in Winter, was a brilliantly written play based on the fascinating life of Queen Leonor (of Aquitaine) of England and before that France. Married to King Henry, the one who disposed of Thomas Becket. The play's lines are full of wit and wisdom. Every line tied to another one, every response has an ever more significant reply to it. The part that I remember fondly that, for me applies to these modern time ladies is when the King, played by Peter O'Toole, ponders on how he will be remembered by future generations:

My life, when it is written, will read better than it lived.
Henry...first plantagenet, a king at the ablest soldier of an able time.
He led men well, he cared for justice when he could...and ruled, for years, a state as great as Charlemagne's.
He married out of love a woman out of legend. Not in Alexandria or Rome or Camelot has there been such a queen.


​

If you get the chance to get to see the movie you will see the content to which I apply to these ladies. Years from now, maybe when we are all gone and other generations study the past where we live in today, people like Diana, Grace, Jackie, Soraya and even Farah would be remembered as one of a kind individuals whose loves and lives became some part of other people's lives. They did not affect us personally but each trigger a public feeling you don't get from so many other celebrities. They will be legendary for their unique beauty as well as for their deeds, and for the way they ended.
And for the late Princess Diana, that quote applies perfectly but with a very sad twist: She married out of love, became a woman of legend and not anywhere has there been such a Princess.

 

[Jang]

Diana will be more popular than Kate