Exclusive interview with Diana's closest confidante

‘She’s got to learn that there is more to being a royal than looking good in frocks’

We grabbed a chat with royal biographer Andrew Morton to find out what’s really in store for Kate now that she’s said ‘I do’

It’s every girls’ ultimate fairytale fantasy isn’t it? The handsome Prince, multi-million pound wedding, being told what to do for the rest of your life… Yes it may sound as though Kate (sorry, Catherine) has everything she could possibly want and more but the reality is actually a little different, as Princess Diana’s onetime confidante reveals to No.1.

Do you think the Royals have learned from the mistakes that they made with Diana?
Oh very much so, she was overwhelmed in the first few months of married life. She was suffering from an eating disorder, she was pregnant and she was consumed with jealousy about Mrs. Parker Bowles. I remember her saying to me, “One minute I was nobody and the next I was Princess of Wales.” Kate is going to be very different. First of all they will have a honeymoon, I’m guessing it will be in Scotland, at Balmoral, but they’ll be living in rented accommodation in North Wales. Prince William doesn’t employ someone to squeeze his toothpaste like Prince Charles does so there will be fewer people around her and it will be far more relaxed. I don’t think there’s any pressure on them to take on any charities, it will be very much at their own pace.

Are there any parallels between Kate and Diana?
I think Kate’s got to prove herself quite frankly, Diana proved herself and did so on the world stage and that’s why the world came to a standstill on the day of her funeral and Kate’s got a long way to go. She’s certainly got the fashion sense and she looks good in frocks but she’s got to learn that being a royal that people respect and look up to is more than looking good in frocks. Diana was like a frightened rabbit in the early days but Kate seems to be enjoying herself and that’s a good sign. She’s got the support of the man who loves her and who doesn’t love anyone else and that’s basically the fault line that killed Charles and Diana.

How do the Royal family feel about Kate?
The Royal family keep themselves to themselves. They are very much ‘the firm’. They communicate by memo and don’t have an awful lot to do with each other. The Queen has only met her a couple of times so I don’t really think they think much of her at the moment, they are looking at her like everyone else is looking at her. Zara and Peter Phillips get on with her and Prince Harry certainly does so she knows the younger generation of royals but not the older generation. Having said that Charles and Camilla invited her to stay for a couple of New Year Eve’s during the courtship so she has been accepted.

What do you think drew William to her?
Well she was known by all and sundry as ‘beautiful Kate’ which is a clue! She knew William as a friend before they were lovers and she’s a good looking girl, there’s no two ways about it. She’s very sporty and active like Prince William too. She comes from a stable family and, really, William, when all is said and done, comes from a broken home. She offers him stability and loyalty and is very patient and loving.

With such different upbringings, what do they really have in common?
Romantic chemistry is very hard to define. They have shared interests in theatricals and outdoor pursuits and they share a sense of humour. He’s an Alpha male and she’s prepared to follow in his wake, I’ll be interested to see how long that continues! As the saying goes, ‘women fall in love and men fall in line!’

What do you think will be difficult for Kate to deal with?
I think it will be exhausting first of all, she will be exhausted after the wedding. The royal wedding is a bit like winning an election, you exhaust yourself getting through the wedding and then you have to start work! It’s the same for Kate. I don’t think protocol will be the biggest difficulty, I think it will be the realisation that ‘a dog is not just for Christmas’, being a Princess is not just for April 29th, it’s for life. She will have to cope with the knowledge that she will always be on parade.

Is she aware of what a life at court will involve?
No, nobody ever is. It will take her years to come to terms with it.

Do you think she’ll be under pressure to produce an heir?
I’m pretty confident that, according to Royal tradition, she’ll be pregnant within the next few months. Every reigning monarch for the last 200 years has had a child within a year and a half, Diana was pregnant within three months. I expect her to have a girl because helicopter pilots traditionally have girls and I expect the baby’s name to have Diana
in it.

Do you think the wedding will put pressure on Harry to settle down?
 I doubt it, the pressure on him is to be Mr. Glamorous. He’s been under the radar for the last few months but the focus will come back to him after the wedding. It’s often the Maid of Honour and the Best Man that get pushed together in these situations so you never know, Pippa could be the next one...

Is Kate likely to have to leave her friends and family behind?
Well that’s the big mistake Diana made, she left her family and friends behind, but Kate has kept up with her family. I think the Middletons have been very careful to ensure that they remain a family and not to let themselves be overwhelmed by
it all. The Middletons have stamped their own style on this wedding and I think all of that adds up to the fact that the Middletons aren’t going to be push overs and that‘s a good thing because that’s what happened to every other family. The Royal family are like a steamroller, they’re like the mafia.

What will the Royal family be like as in-laws?
The thing Kate will have to encounter in a few months time is ‘what do you buy the Queen for Christmas?’ What on Earth do you get for the woman who has everything? Bermuda?
The most recent example of a ‘commoner’ marrying into the Royal family is Sophie Rhys-Jones and I’m told on very good authority that she is one of the Queen’s favourites. Kate would do well to do what Sophie’s done, she’s been pretty low key and kept her nose clean.

Is the relationship likely to strained by them spending a lot of time apart?
Kate has been quite used to spending a lot of time away from William since they left university. He’s been away a lot with the army and navy and she is going to have to build her own household and circle of friends. It’s not just about William, it’s about her as well.

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