The royal family is in the news constantly, but two royals whose relationship isn't always talked
about are Princess Anne and Kate Middleton. Do these royal family members get along?
We did the digging so you don't have to -- here's the truth about
the inner workings of Princess Anne and Kate Middleton's relationship.
There's no denying that the media coverage of Kate Middleton has been extensive.
Ever since she came onto the scene, back when she and Prince William were dating
as college students, there has been immense interest in her - so much so
that at times she was criticized simply for living her life, as noted by Buzzfeed News.
After Kate got married to William, things calmed down a little bit,
but revved back up as royal tensions bubbled to the surface. Princess Anne, who also came
of age in a spotlighted position, shared her thoughts on the scrutiny and attention that
Kate has been exposed to. In the documentary Anne: The Princess Royal at 70, Anne said,
"The pressure that is applied to the younger members of the family, it's always worse."
The Princess Royal went on to say that the media attention that Kate is exposed to is challenging
and pointed to the fact that social media has made things that much more challenging, saying,
"The pressure that is applied to the younger members of the family is
hard sometimes to deal with."
"There was no social media in my day, and it's probably made it more difficult."
The world always watches the royals when it comes to paying tribute to their family members.
For instance, it was very obvious that things were dicey when Prince William and Kate Middleton
didn't publicly wish Prince Harry and Meghan Markle well on their third wedding anniversary.
So needless to say, when Kate issues a public message, the world takes notice.
This was especially true when she wished Princess Anne a happy 70th birthday on social media.
The caption on the post read,
"Wishing a very happy 70th birthday to Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal!"
The post had more than 500,000 likes.
The world was understandably shaken when Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth's husband, died in 2021.
While he was getting on in years, his presence within the royal family and his importance to
the queen cannot be understated. As such, when Philip died, Kate Middleton and Princess Anne
reportedly joined ranks and devised a plan to address the Queen's needs moving forward.
According to Express, Kate and Anne were joined by Camilla Parker Bowles and Sophie,
Countess of Wessex - the royal women apparently developed a plan to ensure that the queen
was not left by herself while on the job. A source close to the palace told The Mirror,
"The Queen will not be alone. She will have others who care about her deeply
and want to be there to support her in her most pressing hour."
Given that Anne is Elizabeth's only daughter,
and that Kate has been on the royal scene for more than a decade, it makes sense that they
joined together to address such a trying time for their family and for the monarch.
After proving her worth and dedication to the royal family, just as Princess Anne did,
Kate Middleton was given a very prestigious title by Queen Elizabeth and now shares it with Anne,
as well as Prince Philip and Camilla Parker Bowles. As noted by Express,
Elizabeth named Kate a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order - and the
new title coincided with her eighth wedding anniversary to Prince William.
The title "is the highest rank in a form of chivalry personally granted by the sovereign
to recognize one's service," and given that service is extremely important to Anne,
the distinction and shared title between her and Kate is highly notable. Express further noted that
Anne was bestowed the very same title in 2007, and she also holds the role of Grand Master.
Maintaining the image of the crown has been very crucial to both Anne and Kate,
and as of 2018, their titles bond them.
The Olympics. Just the two words alone spark a certain amount of home country
pride and competition, but that's nothing compared to the feelings of dedication and
patriotism that arise when it's your own country that's hosting.
The Olympics were held in London in 2012, and the royals were front and center in the stands.
Kate Middleton and Princess Anne were spotted together at the games on a number of occasions.
The pair were seen chatting in the stands with each other, discussing what we can
only assume were the riveting events that were playing out in front of them.
Of course, the 2012 Olympics were a huge deal for Anne,
as her daughter, Zara Tindall, won a silver medal in the equestrian team event.
When Kate Middleton and Prince William's first child, Prince George, was born,
it seemed like the whole world celebrated with them. That is, except for Princess Anne, it appeared.
As noted by Express, the Princess Royal is said to have dropped an interesting
comment about the new addition to the family, and it supposedly ruffled some feathers.
So what exactly happened? Before George was born, Anne was asked
if she was looking forward to having a new little bundle of joy in the royal family.
She reportedly responded to the question by saying,
"Nothing to do with me, but it's very good news."
If you think the answer is a little odd,
you're not the only one. People took to social media to call out Anne for her comment,
with some people calling her, quote, "miserable." It remains unclear just how much Anne's comment
impacted her relationship with Kate, but we can't imagine it went over extremely well.
If you're confused about royal protocols, you're not alone. There are a lot of rules to follow,
so much so that who Kate Middleton curtsies to changes depending on who she is with
at the time. As noted by CheatSheet, Kate has to curtsy to Princess Anne,
but only when she is not accompanied by her husband, Prince William. When alone,
Kate also has to curtsy to Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, as she "is not of royal blood."
But all of that changes when William is around - if he is, Anne then has to curtsy to Kate.
Even though Kate did not inherit her royal title by birth,
she is still poised to take on one of the highest-ranked positions in the royal family.
When William becomes king, Kate will become "Queen Consort." When that happens, everyone,
including Anne, will have to bow or curtsy to her, except for her husband.
Princess Anne is by and large known as the hardest-working royal. She has outperformed
her family members in terms of attending events, and has not been shy when sharing what she thinks
about the approach of "younger" royals - namely Kate Middleton and Prince William.
In a sit-down interview with Vanity Fair, Anne said that even though she may look like the,
quote, "boring old fuddy-duddy," she's always gone about her royal duties in
the same way - and she knows what it takes to be a successful member of the royal family.
Anne told the publication,
"I don't think this younger generation probably understands what I was doing in
the past [...] Nowadays, they're much more looking for, 'Oh let's do it a new way. And I'm already at
the stage, 'Please do not reinvent that particular wheel. [...] Some of these things don't work.'"
Anne continued by saying that the younger royals need, quote,
"to go back to basics" when it comes to their approach to royal life.
The royal family, as most of us know, has been in flux for the last couple of years.
Things changed dramatically when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced that
they would be stepping back from their roles as senior royals, and as such,
the core group of royal family members have banded together in a new and unique way.
"I was trapped and I didn't know I was trapped."
Because of the shifting values of the family,
Princess Anne and Kate Middleton are gearing up to work together far more closely than before.
As noted by the Observer, Queen Elizabeth is establishing the New Firm, and it will be
composed of herself and seven senior royals: Anne, Kate, Prince William, Prince Charles,
Camilla Parker Bowles, Prince Edward, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex. Because of this, royal fans
will most likely see Anne and Kate attending each other's events more often than in the past.
The New Firm has already started to work closely together, and even joined
a video call all together to pay tribute to health care workers during the pandemic.
Kate Middleton always looks good - she's put-together, classy, and always the picture
of sophistication. But eagle-eyed fans have started to notice that Kate may be taking fashion
inspiration from none other than Princess Anne, who started many fashion trends during the 1970s.
As noted by Express, Kate was spotted in a green dress that featured long sleeves and
a high neckline - the entire ensemble was very indicative of Anne's go-to silhouette.
The dress in question hasn't been the only time that Kate has echoed the fashion choices of the Princess Royal.
Express reported that after Kate returned to royal duty following the birth of her
youngest child, Prince Louis, she was seen in a number of 1970s-inspired looks that featured
high necklines and bell-shaped sleeves - all silhouettes that were rocked by Anne years prior.
Kate may also be looking to Anne for inspiration when it comes to her royal duties.
As aforementioned, Anne is one of the most prominent, hardworking members of
the royal family. It makes sense that, given Kate's direct line to the throne,
she would be emulating the royal example that Anne has set forth.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus,
even more List videos about your favorite royals are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.