Middleton, Diana contrast

is what Prince William would face week in, week out, had he the time and inclination to wade through the royal Press cuttings.
Commentators have been quick to compare and contrast royal fiancée Kate Middleton with William’s late mother Princess Diana, whose style, charity and scandalous divorce from Prince Charles made her arguably the world’s most famous woman.
Yet the differences far outweigh the similarities, experts and PR gurus say, which could bode well for the young couple’s long-term happiness as well as Middleton’s relationship with the Queen and her royal brood.
Diana was just 19 when she was betrothed to William’s father Charles in 1981.
He was a 32-year-old veteran and she a timid newcomer to the “goldfish bowl” life of a leading royal whose fashion sense was more “Sloane Ranger” than sophisticated chic.
But as her relationship with Charles and the royal family soured, her confidence, sense of style and stature as a charity figurehead grew, making her a favourite with the public.
Diana was killed in a Paris car crash in 1997 after being chased at high speeds by paparazzi photographers.
She was 36.
In contrast to Diana’s perceived naivety at the time of her marriage, the 29-year-old Middleton is nearly 10 years older and has known William for a long time.
They met at university a decade ago.
Royal watchers also believe that Middleton’s family is more stable than Diana’s, whose parents split when she was a young girl.
According to a BBC obituary, the children became “pawns in a bitter custody dispute”.
Claudia Joseph, author of Middleton biography Kate, said the contrast between the two women was stark.
Royal commentators believe William, who gave Middleton Diana’s old engagement ring, is trying to protect his fiancée from the problems his mother faced at the same time as preserving Diana’s memory on the big day and afterwards.
“William has been quite shrewd to exploit the Diana connection,” said royal biographer Christopher Wilson. – Reuters.