Kate, Princess of Wales, and her husband Prince William visited Windsor Foodshare on Thursday to hear about how the organisation supports local individuals and families. The Prince and Princess of Wales also helped volunteers to sort food donations and prepare packages for those helped by the charity. Windsor Foodshare, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary later this year, helps an average of 150 people per week with its services. While it marks the couple’s second joint outing this year, Kate has already undertaken solo engagements, focusing on her work with early years development. After almost 12 years in the Royal Family, Kate is a seasoned working royal and according to one expert, the Princess has modelled herself on a particularly successful member of the Firm — the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Gyles Brandreth, author of Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, has pointed out a key way Kate is following in the footsteps of Her Majesty.
In his book, Mr Brandreth recalled a conversation he had with Prince Philip when Kate first stepped onto the royal scene. “When Catherine Middleton came along as a potential bride for his grandson, Prince William, the Duke of Edinburgh was, he told me, ‘relieved to find her such a level-headed girl’,” he wrote.
“‘If you believe the attention is for you personally,’ he warned, ‘you’re going to end up in trouble. The attention is for your role, what you do, what you’re supporting. It isn’t for you as an individual. You are not a celebrity. You are representing the Royal Family. That’s all. Don’t look at the camera. The Queen never looks at the camera. Never. Look at who you’re talking to. Look at what you’ve come to see.’”
Mr Brandreth continued: “I have been on walkabout with the Duchess of Cambridge. She does not look at the camera. Whenever she is interviewed, Catherine talks about the matter in hand, never about herself.”
It is not the first time the Duchess of Cambridge and Cornwall has been compared to the late Queen.
READ: Prince William Teases Kate In Hilarious Video Captured During Food Bank Visit
The Channel 5 royal documentary, Kate: Our Queen in Waiting, draws on the similarities between the two royals, particularly when it comes to public engagements.
Narrator David Riley said of the Duchess: “Kate’s stoical attitude towards the press mirrors that of the Queen herself. It’s felt by many to be the appropriate royal response”.
Historian Dr Chandrika Kaul added: “Kate epitomises the adage ‘never complain, never explain’ much like the Queen has in her successful and long reign.”
While royal journalist Victoria Murphy said there were “a lot of parallels between Kate’s personality and the Queen’s personality”.
She continued: “Neither of them are extroverted personalities. They don’t seek out the limelight. They both maintain a certain element of mystique in public life.”.
English