Members of the British Royal Family are treated like celebrities but must also maintain their dignity and uphold centuries-old traditions. I find myself torn between wanting to know all about them and letting them have the privacy everybody deserves.
This book goes into a lot of previously unknown detail and has a bibliography and comprehensive index. Nicholl lives and works in London but also contributes to the US media, and the book is aimed at Americans. However, it is full of facts and very readable.
Kate Middleton's early life is well drawn, with her only unhappy episode having to leave one school at the age of 13 because she did not fit in with the sophisticated set, somewhat ironic in hindsight. Kate switched to Marlborough College and thrived, as she had at St Andrew's Prep School. Her family fostered the promotion of self-esteem while valuing others, and being a well-rounded person.
Kate is known for her sporting prowess, also loves the arts, and relates well to people from all walks of life. She is a talented photographer, but has twice withdrawn from staging her own exhibition, worried her work would be judged as a result of her position, and not on its merits.
Her parents have been described as pushy social climbers, but they worked hard at their jobs and business, while holding people, including family, friends and staff, in the highest regard, and are consequently well-liked.
Did you know that the butcher, postman and landlord of the pub from their village attended the wedding? Kate and Prince William included a mixture of the traditional and their own personal touches to make the wedding a day for everyone to remember.
Most of the book is as much about William as Kate, and chronicles the decade which saw them become friends at the University of St Andrew's, (they first met as 9-year-olds on the hockey field), develop a romance, overcome insecurities, and finally realise they couldn't live without each other.
We are left wondering about Kate's seemingly inexplicable decision to turn down a coveted position at the University of Edinburgh, once it was made public that William would go to St Andrew's. She followed suit, taking a gap year - they both worked on a project in Chile, but at different times - then reapplying for St Andrew's. Did the confident, independent girl have a fairytale ending in mind?
Kate has immense strength of character, showing discretion and loyalty, and learned how to handle the media, often without royal protection or PR. She is coping well with the travel and duties of royal life, and has provided the all-important heir. And she can play the long game, and indeed it will be a long time before William ascends to the throne, with his father, Prince Charles, yet to fulfil his destiny.
Comparisons are often made between Kate and Diana, William's late mother, but the strength of an enduring relationship is evident and Kate and Wills have a better chance of staying together than many other royal or celebrity couples.
- Rachel Gurney is an avid Dunedin reader.
Win a copy
The ODT has five copies of Kate: The Future Queen by Katie Nicholl (RRP $29.99), to give away courtesy of Weinstein Books and its distributor Newsouth Books. For your chance to win a copy, email helen.speirs@odt.co.nz with your name and postal address in the body of the email, and ''Kate Book Competition'' in the subject line, by 5pm on Tuesday, November 12.
