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

[carlota]

funny anecdote by cheryl cole, although i wonder if such comment on his wife was ever made by william...

it's very sweet of kate to send flowers to hospitals or hospices of the cities she visits. i hope this becomes a "tradition" of hers. i bet it can make the day of the patients of the hospital to know they were sent by her, let alone how pretty places look with fresh flowers.

[hkittybaby]

Kate is Kate

Diana is Diana

[AdmirerUS]

Originally Posted by hkittybaby

Kate is Kate

Diana is Diana

I could not agree more and having lived through the Diana years, I do so hope Catherine's future is very different. Certainly, her situation from the start of her service is wisely different.

[MARG]

Originally Posted by AdmirerUS

I could not agree more and having lived through the Diana years, I do so hope Catherine's future is very different. Certainly, her situation from the start of her service is wisely different.

You are right, their situations were totally different. At Catherine's age Diana was a mother and had weathered the fashion faux pas that littered her early years in the BRF and was an accomplished "performer" for the Firm. Catherine is 1 year in and still finding her feet, her personal style is still yet to appear, so ballpark age but dramatically differing lives.

And that is how it should be!

[Kataryn]

I don't think the tabloids are as fascinated with Catherine than they were with Diana. Catherine is older and much more set in her ways than Diana was. Diana had a lot of the "girl next door" left in her when she became pregnant and that gave the tabloids stories - like when she went to a local shop near Highgate and bought some sweets. I cannot imagine someone running a similar story with Catherine, even if similar pics existed. People would say: so what? Duchess buys sweets, where's the news? With Diana ist gave a story about the young princess trying to cling a bit to her old life etc. etc. Catherine never gave the public enough insights for the media to create such stories or opportunities for pics that seem to tell their own story. Diana's whole life had a kind of fairytale quality and this is something that's missing from Catherine's or if it is there, it's a well-guarded secret.

[Dman]

Many female members of the royal family go through their popular moments. At the moment Catherine is very popular.

To me, Catherine is the "Girl Next Door" because I personally know a lot of families like the one she comes from.

[Duke-of-Earl]

I was just a kid when Diana died and increasingly to an entire new generation of monarchists like myself, Diana Spencer is just a name in history. When children and teens wait for hours to catch a glimpse of Catherine, they are doing it because Catherine connects with us, not because of the ghost of Diana past. Popularity is an odd thing and difficult to quantify but for a new generation of monarchists, Catherine is already more popular than Diana and I don't think that is much of a surprise.

[Dman]

Then again, popualrity within the royal family only last for awhile. Right now Catherine is popular but then she will have children and the media and everybody else will focus on them, especially when they get older. Popularity passes on from one generation to another. That's just the pattern.

[Kataryn]

makes for an interesting read:

http://ctpanews.com/wp-content/uploa...sbiography.pdf

[Duke-of-Earl]

James Dean is one of the most iconic and famous American actors of all time and not because of his body of work but because he died a tragic death at a young age

[Nice Nofret]

Originally Posted by Kataryn

makes for an interesting read:

http://ctpanews.com/wp-content/uploa...sbiography.pdf

Thank you very much for this very interesting read

[AdmirerUS]

Originally Posted by Kataryn

makes for an interesting read:

http://ctpanews.com/wp-content/uploa...sbiography.pdf

That IS interesting.
Perhaps no coincidence, as I was reading this thread, it occurred to me that in the "girl next door" category, both Diana and Kate fit the bill. Kate's version relies on friendship and steadfastness. You like her because she is fun and steady. You want to stand with her because she is such a help.

Diana was very friendly too, but her trump card was her vulnerability. I liked her because she was fun and wanted friends as she bravely took on her princess role amidst a lot of naysayers. You wanted to stand with her as a help.

And I do not mean this to dis Diana at all. Diana brought the monarchy to life and I loved her as much as anyone from afar could. I just was thinking about how two such different young women could be so adored in the same role.

[Kataryn]

Another series of interesting links - interviews with Royal reporters and editors pre Diana's death but after the Panorama-interview:

Interviews | Princess And The Press | FRONTLINE | PBS

[Duke-of-Earl]

Just keep in mind the 'complicated' relationship Diana had with the press in general and certain reporters in particular. For better or for worse, Diana and the tabloids go hand in hand and I mean that with no disrespect, just the facts.