Kate Middleton Not Similar To Princess Diana, Key Differences Which Separate Them Exposed

She is expected to one day inherit her late mother-in-law’s title as the Princess of Wales, but that doesn’t mean Kate Middleton is quite as similar to Princess Diana as many may think.

According to Express UK, there are actually some very key differences between the two women that separate them, despite their often being compared considering Middleton married Diana’s first son, who, like her former husband, will one day be the King of England. While none of the differences make Middleton seem “good” or “bad” compared to her predecessor, it does prove that she is not quite as much the same as previously perceived.

One huge difference between the women was the ages they were when they officially entered into the royal family. A 10 year age gap separated the women upon their marriages, with Princess Diana only being 19 years old when she wed Prince Charles, while Middleton was 29 when she wed Prince William. As a result, Middleton also received more guidance ahead of being established as the Duchess of Cambridge, whereas Princess Diana did not—and her mistakes were often broadcast throughout the media because of it.

“Diana was 19 when she came on to the royal scene,” former royal press secretary Patrick Jephson said earlier this month (via Express UK). “She never had a supportive network of fellow workers, she never had proper mentoring. The organization she joined was very traditional, very masculine. Her mistakes, when she made them, tended to be broadcast and her successes, the more she made of them, tended to be downplayed or are these days relegated to the margins of royal history.”

“This is not happening to Kate,” he added. “The reality is that Kate had from the outset a great deal more in the way of guidance that Diana ever had, not least a loving and faithful husband, and you can’t overestimate the value of that in a family business like royalty.”

He also noted that while both women did marry a future heir to the throne, Princess Diana was wed to the next King, while there is more time for Middleton to grow and adapt in her role before she becomes Queen Consort since Prince William is second-in-line for the job after his father.

In addition, another big difference between the two was the fact that they came from different backgrounds. While Middleton came from a well-off family, she was still a Commoner when she married Prince William. Princess Diana, however, came from an aristocratic background and was the daughter of the 8th Earl Spencer.