The Princess of Wales has shown herself to be a royal role model since joining Britain’s most famous family, making confident public appearances while avoiding the harsh criticism leveled at her sister-in-law Meghan.

Catherine, who married the heir to the throne, Prince William, in 2011, stepped up her performances after his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, retired.

The couple, both 40, featured prominently during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic and have consistently been the most popular royal behind the late monarch in recent years.

She has balanced royal duties, which included a prominent role at the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, by being a hands-on mother to her three children.

Catherine was praised for effortlessly comforting her youngest son Prince Louis when he became restless during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant earlier this year.

The former Kate Middleton is the daughter of businessman Michael and former flight attendant Carole Middleton.

She began dating William while studying art history at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

The pair have been together ever since – apart from a brief split in 2007 which Kate said made her “a stronger person”.

She worked briefly as a buyer at high street fashion chain Jigsaw before marrying in London’s historic Westminster Abbey in 2011, where she wore a lace-sleeved dress by Alexander McQueen’s Sarah Burton.

William’s decision to marry a “commoner” after living together was in sharp contrast to that of his father, now King Charles III, in his marriage to 20-year-old aristocrat Diana Spencer in 1981, when he was 12 years her senior .

Kate has since revealed little about her experience of joining the royal family, unlike her sister-in-law Meghan, who married William’s younger brother, Prince Harry, in 2018.

Harry and Meghan sensationally gave up their frontline royal duties and relocated to North America in March 2020, where they then spoke about life behind the palace walls.

Meghan, a former American television actress, told Oprah Winfrey in a March 2021 interview that she had a frosty reception, cataloging her hunt through the tabloids.

In the early days of her courtship, photographers also followed Kate’s every move, drawing parallels to the media treatment of William’s mother, who died in 1997.

There were also reports that William’s friends made fun of her mother’s previous occupation and that courtiers said Carole Middleton didn’t use enough “genteel” terms.

However, William has spoken of his warm relationship with his wife’s parents.

Kate gave birth to Prince George in 2013, who will succeed William to the throne, followed by Princess Charlotte in 2015 and Prince Louis in 2018.

She’s opened up about her struggles with severe morning sickness, saying on a podcast that she’s “not the happiest pregnant woman.”

Prince Harry was often photographed at events with his brother and Kate and appeared to feel relaxed and warm in their company.

When Meghan took the stage, the couples appeared to hit it off, leading to predictions that the quartet would become the face of the modern monarchy.

But rumors of a rift began to spread shortly after Meghan and Harry’s 2018 wedding ceremony at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.

The Sun reported in November of the same year that Meghan had made Kate cry while her daughter Charlotte was trying on her clothes.

In her bombastic Oprah interview, Meghan claimed the opposite was true, but Kate had apologized and sent her flowers.

However, she complained that Buckingham Palace never corrected the report.

Critics have accused Britain’s unforgiving tabloids of targeting mixed-race Meghan in ways Kate was not confronted with – a point that hasn’t escaped Harry’s notice.

In November 2016, shortly after their relationship became public, Harry said a “line had been crossed” and accused comments of having “racist undertones”.

Following the couple’s allegations of royal racism, much has been made of the contrasting treatment of the two women.

Kate has nonetheless provoked criticism from feminist commentators for her perfectly groomed appearance, even just hours after giving birth.

Sure, the fact that she didn’t hide her postpartum bump was welcomed.

But British film star Keira Knightley said Kate’s neat look puts pressure on women to “look beautiful” and “hide our pain”.

Writer Hilary Mantel even accused Kate of resembling a “mannequin with no personality of her own.”

However, Kate comes across as passionate when she talks about some topics, particularly child development and early influences.

“Our early childhood shapes our adult life,” she said.

In July 2021 she established a Royal Foundation Center for Early Childhood.

She is also known to be an avid amateur photographer and has taken her own official photos of her family in their home and garden.

During the pandemic, William – who caught Covid – and Kate publicly supported the launch of the vaccine. They spoke to the medical staff and those who are reluctant to get the sting.