Everyone who followed Diana, Princess of Wales, through her unsettled, tragic life knew that amid the emotional chaos of a bad marriage, she remained a passionately devoted mother to her sons William and Harry. Whether she was taking them for an uproarious amusement-park ride or dropping them off at school, Diana always spent as much time as possible with her sons. She wanted them to be free of the restrictive aspects of royal life, to know ordinary people and to do what they wanted with their life, not what tradition dictated they should do. So what would she have thought of Williams fiance, Kate Middleton? Kates background couldnt be more different from Dianas. The late princess was descended from King Charles II on her fathers side; Kates father worked for British Airways, and her mothers family were laborers and miners. Diana went to a finishing school in Switzerland; Kate graduated from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, where she met Prince William while they were both students. Some women with Dianas aristocratic background might look down on Kates working-class roots. But Diana knew just how catty and treacherous royal courtiers could be. So she probably would have welcomed an intelligent young woman who had experience with a world beyond the palace gates. And Diana never showed any desire to be an intellectual, so its doubtful she would have been jealous of Kates degree. Besides, neither of them had much of a career before meeting their future husbands. Diana was a nursery-school teacher, and Kate worked at some jobs in retail and photography. Basically, they were waiting for their prince.
But their love of style would have given them a lot to talk about. Diana began her life as a princess with some extremely awkward post-adolescent patterned dresses, but quickly moved on to become a style icon who looked equally elegant in haute couture evening dresses and khaki pants. Even before her marriage, Kate is already a fashionista whose signature look is chic, narrow dresses and suits, often paired with an extravagantly oversized or feathered hat.The couples wedding would definitely have been to Dianas taste: The Princess of Wales, who was married at St.Pauls, didnt like her own wedding dress. The creation, by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, sported huge puffy sleeves and a 25-yard train. Although Kates wedding dress hasnt yet been designed, its likely to be much simpler and more modern. And Kate wont be taken to Westminster Abbey in the traditional glass coach. That coach is rather symbolic of the gilded-cage life that Diana led until her divorced, and shed be happy to see that her son and his new wife wouldnt be trapped in it. Diana and Charles had a sit-down dinner; Kate and William will have a more informal buffet.Another point in Kates favor: Like Diana, who was known after her death as the Peoples Princess, Kate has a common touch that enables her to meet people with ease and to look at her future husband affectionately and supportively, the way a politicians wife does.
Most important of all, Diana would have undoubtedly liked the fact that William and Kate, 29, were in a relationship for several years before they announced their engagement. Like many couples, they even broke up and then got back together. So they know each others good and bad qualities and how to make their partnership last.Tragically, Diana never had a chance to do that. At the age of 20, she entered an arranged marriage with Prince Charlesa man she barely knew, a man who was already in love with another woman. She got no emotional support from him, and so she turned hostile. Her sons were her only refuge.Kate wont have those problems, and no one would have been happier about that than Diana.
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