Postcards of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton are seen for sale alongside those of Princess Diana at a souvenir shop in London April 6, 2011.
Postcards of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton are seen for sale alongside those of Princess Diana at a souvenir shop in London April 6, 2011. Reuters/Suzanne Plunkett

Princess Diana and Kate Middleton are often compared to each other, but there’s one striking difference between the two of them. British Vogue editor-in-chief Alexandra Shulman has revealed what makes the two women in Prince William’s life so very different from each other.

In an interview with Standard’s ES Magazine, Shulman has recounted some of her experiences working with royalty and celebrities in her new memoir, “Inside Vogue: A Diary of My 100th Year.” Some of those encounters include meeting with the late Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Cambridge.

Kate posed for the cover of the centenary issue of Vogue earlier this year, and Shulman couldn’t help but compare her to Diana, who was as celebrated in her sartorial choices as she was of her charitable endeavours.

“Diana was more interested in that high-voltage celebrity, that was something she really embraced. One of the things I’ve learned in this job is how much celebrity is a decision,” Shulman said of William’s mother.

Princess Diana
Lady Diana Spencer, soon to become the Princess of Wales, showing her wedding gown for the first time, turns as her bridesmaids set her train on arrival at Saint Paul's Cathedral for her wedding to Prince Charles in London, July 29, 1981. Reuters/Mal Langsdon

Kate, on the other hand, was more reserved about her fame.

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“The Duchess of Cambridge is prepared to do her bit, but it’s not one of the things that she most cares about. She loves her kids and the countryside. Dressing up, that’s a professional side to her. It’s a sort of uniform, all those lovely couture costumes.”

Kate Middleton arrives to Westminster Abbey for her marriage to Britain's Prince William in central London April 29, 2011.
Kate Middleton arrives to Westminster Abbey for her marriage to Britain's Prince William in central London April 29, 2011. Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach

That said, the Duchess doesn’t differ much from her mother-in-law, who was called the People’ Princess after her tragic accident in 1997. Kate is also “incredibly likeable.”

Shulman continued, “She wants to do what she’s doing well, and she’s very professional. That’s the point with the royal family. It’s when they stop being professional that things go wrong. We want them to be pros, to get everything right, to be on message and look great. We don’t want them to have off days.”

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