Kate Middleton and the News About Her Mother-in-Law Lady Di That Won't Please Meghan Markle

On April 29, 2011, Kate Middleton walked down the aisle to marry Prince William. Thirty years earlier, the world had watched Diana Spencer do the same with then-Prince Charles. Although comparisons are inevitable, the truth is that their ways of experiencing that big day couldn't have been more different.

Two Women, Two Ways to Assume the Royal Role

Kate Middleton, at 29 years old, was already well-acquainted with the workings of royalty when she arrived at Westminster Abbey dressed in an elegant Alexander McQueen design. She walked with a confident step, greeted the public who had camped out to see her, and spoke her vows with clarity and serenity. She even had the grace to give William a reassuring smile when he had trouble placing the ring on her finger.

Diana, on the other hand, was only 20 years old when she married Charles in the majestic St. Paul's Cathedral. The young woman, visibly nervous, made mistakes during her vows and mixed up the order of her groom's names. It was the reflection of a woman who was just beginning to understand the weight of the role she was about to assume.

The difference between them went beyond character. Diana entered the royal family with hardly any preparation or experience, while Kate had years to adapt to institutional life before becoming a princess.

Between Tradition, Symbolism, and Breaking Protocols

Despite their differences, both Diana and Kate broke with a tradition that had governed the marriage vows of women in the British royalty for years. Neither promised to "obey" their husband, opting for a more equal and modern formula that included love, honor, and cherish. Both also paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II with a deep curtsy during their ceremonies, a symbol of respect toward the reigning monarch.

Both emerged acclaimed by the crowd, Diana in the height of summer, Kate under a spring sun. They traveled through London in the same historic carriage, the 1902 Landau, greeting citizens who gathered to see the new royal couples. Kate even shared a fun moment with William and Harry watching the broadcast of her wedding in a robe and still wearing the royal tiara.

What Each Wedding Left in the Collective Memory

Kate and William's wedding was watched by nearly two billion people: her serene image solidified her role as a future queen. For Lady Di, however, that day was just the beginning of a complex journey. Years later, she would confess that she felt like "a lamb to the slaughter," trapped in a role she completely didn't know.

What Diana experienced as a leap into the void, Kate assumed with firmness, preparation, and control. Two stories, two times, and two very different women who, in their own way, changed the face of the British monarchy.