Princess Kate ‘is a matriarch… she guides the family & advises’ William

Just FYI, the current Princess of Wales, Kate, is not the “first PoW since Diana.” Kate is the first woman to USE the title since Diana. Camilla was Princess of Wales, she just wasn’t styled that way because of the memory of Diana. I bring this up because People Magazine joins the long list of media outlets calling Kate “the first Princess of Wales since Diana.” Y’all can actually take the time to be specific, because it was always pretty rotten that Camilla technically had that title too. Anyway, this piece is part of People’s cover story about Kate and William being keen for the future as they finally “step up.”

In this week’s PEOPLE cover story, a source close to the family acknowledges it has been a stressful time, especially for Kate, the first Princess of Wales since William’s mother Princess Diana held the title.

As William steps up to the elevated responsibilities that come with his new standing, like managing the $1.3 billion Duchy of Cornwall and helping plan King Charles’ May coronation, the heir to the throne prepares for the future with Kate by his side.

“She is a matriarch. Not in the sense of an older woman in a twin set and pearls, but she guides the family and advises [William] when he wants it,” says Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, Prince William’s former private secretary.

King Charles III bestowed the titles of Prince and Princess of Wales to Prince William and his wife the day after the Queen’s death, and Kate’s popularity has only soared. However, the newly minted princess now faces inevitable comparisons with Diana, the best-loved royal in modern history.

Like the woman whose iconic sapphire engagement ring she wears every day, the new Princess of Wales has undertaken ambitious projects throughout the United Kingdom on child development, mental health and family well-being. As for Diana’s legacy, palace sources say that Princess Kate “appreciates the history associated with this role but will understandably want to look to the future as she creates her own path.”

Adds Lowther-Pinkerton: “She will do so with humility and by acknowledging the past but in her own way.”

One way she’s bucking royal tradition is by keeping George at home rather than boarding school. With Lambrook a 15-minute drive from their new home at Adelaide Cottage, Kate and William try to do the school drop-off and pickup most days.

Although insiders say the Wales family will eventually live in the 1,000-year-old Windsor Castle itself, for now, cottage life is much like it is at their country retreat Amner Hall in Norfolk, where the kids and their friends are in and out of the swimming pool. George will flop onto the sofa beside his father, while Charlotte makes a beeline for familiar guests. Theirs is a life of a “modern royal family doing normal things,” as one close family friend puts it.

[From People]

“She guides the family and advises [William] when he wants it…” Yeah, I guess. I honestly believe Kate gets her own way about a lot of things – she barely works, her mother manages her life and her marriage, she’s raising the kids “the Middleton way” rather than the royal way. But I don’t really think that’s Kate “guiding” the family, I think William doesn’t give a sh-t and he’s fine with Kate making those decisions. It’s been clear that William sees her role as “raising the children and nothing else.” William, like his father, doesn’t want to be overshadowed by his wife, which is why William has always been more than happy with Kate’s laziness and Mean Girl antics. As much as Kate’s PR wants to convince people that she’s the power behind William, William’s own PR is that she’s fine, she’s there, she raises the kids while he does Future King things.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.