It’s been quite the year for Catherine. In early January she celebrated her 40th birthday with a series of romanticised portraits that would hang in the National Portrait Gallery, and she was still the Duchess of Cambridge.
Then, on 8 September, her life changed.
After a publicised move to Windsor, with a photoshoot to accompany the children’s first day of school, the Cambridge family left London behind. The images were released on their first day at school, 8 September. Just hours later, Queen Elizabeth II passed away peacefully in Scotland, and William and Catherine’s peaceful idyll was replaced with elevated roles and new titles to match.
Within a day, Catherine would officially be the Princess of Wales, the title conferred upon her by her father-in-law, King Charles, in his 9 September accession speech broadcast around the globe.
King Charles said: “Today, I am proud to create [William] Prince of Wales, Tywysog Cymru, the country whose title I have been so greatly privileged to bear during so much of my life and duty.
“With Catherine beside him, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to bring the marginal to the centre ground where vital help can be given.”
For the family, it was business as usual—the wheels of succession working in real time—but for the public, long captivated by the image and illusion of Diana, Princess of Wales, it meant a new woman finally using the long-dormant title.
Immediately after King Charles’s speech, a source told reporters that Catherine was honoured to have her title, but made it clear from the start: Catherine has no intentions of becoming a second version of Diana.
The source told reporters: “The new Princess of Wales appreciates the history associated with this role but will understandably want to look to the future as she creates her own path.”
In the days after her grandmother-in-law’s death, Catherine helped lead the Royal Family and the nation in grieving a beloved matriarch.
She and William were joined by Harry and Meghan at Windsor to view flowers and greet mourners; and her teary-eyed admittance that the grief was hitting her and her children as hard as the public earned her sympathy. Later, she and William would visit Sandringham to view flowers and meet mourners; travel to Surrey to meet the Commonwealth soldiers who’d been tasked with participating in Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral; and thank volunteers who’d helped during the mourning period in Windsor.
And, in the months after Queen Elizabeth II’s death, we’re seeing the early fruits of Catherine’s plans for her royal career as Princess of Wales in action. Catherine has continued to focus on her specific areas of interest: early years, mental health, arts and sports, addiction issues and maternal health, and there have been hints at expanding her work in the new year.
She has hosted her second ‘Together at Christmas’ carol service at Westminster Abbey, bringing together community leaders and regular folk to recognise the vital role of community in the daily lives of those living in the UK.
Her work on behalf of Ukraine—with First Lady Olena Zelenska, with refugees, with organisations working for the country—has also been on the forefront of her royal duties since becoming the Princess of Wales. Indeed, her first official audience after receiving the title was with First Lady Zelenska, who flew to London for Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral.
Catherine has also expanded her military representation this autumn. In September, she met with some of the crew of the HMS Glasgow, the ship she sponsors and will continue to work with throughout its decades of service. In December, King Charles conferred upon Catherine her first military appointment when she became Colonel of the Irish Guards, succeeding William.
Catherine has always been destined for an important role within the Royal Family. As a future queen herself and the mother of a future king, her place in history is cemented. It is what she chooses to do with her platform, with this crucial role she plays as Princess of Wales, that will determine how she is remembered.
With the Royal Family in need of modernising, Catherine’s ‘normal’ background gives her the best footing to set a new course, to take on the title of Princess of Wales and differentiate it from the glitz and glamour of her late mother-in-law, and to see the fruits of her labour, planted over the decade she spent as Duchess of Cambridge, bloom.
