Kate Middleton's uncle GARY GOLDSMITH slams 'petulant' Duke trends now
Bacon sandwich in one hand, TV remote in the other, I was settled on my sofa when I got my first glimpse of my niece Kate stepping out of her carriage, outside Westminster Abbey, for the King's Coronation. She looked like a burst of sunshine on a rainy day.
She always has such poise and class and, as one wag apparently and controversially put it last Saturday, 'more star power, charisma and regal bearing than all of the other Royals combined'. Our Kate is certainly a magnet for attention.
As someone who loves a Great British event the way only we can do it, and as a patriotic royalist who appreciates all the Royal Family brings to us, I had been up since 5am with nervous anticipation and genuine excitement.
We were watching TV in my home in London's Marylebone from 6am to catch all the action. It was great fun star-spotting: foreign royals, heads of state and dignitaries from across the Commonwealth and globe and a whole load of famous faces – the good and great – from across our nation.
It also stirred the emotions, and pride, and was a timely reminder that the British really are Great. Among this amazing backdrop were my big sister Carole, her husband Michael and Kate's brother and sister, James and Pippa. When they took their seats in the Abbey, they were just a few pews behind their beautiful daughter Kate.
Kate Middleton looked like a burst of sunshine on a rainy day. She always has such poise and class and, as one wag apparently and controversially put it last Saturday, 'more star power, charisma and regal bearing than all of the other Royals combined'. Our Kate is certainly a magnet for attention
More than could be said of Prince Harry, just a few rows behind, who looked disengaged and like a petulant, sulking teenager
The Waleses – Kate, William and Charlotte and Louis – all looked amazing and were for many of us the most confident and relaxed in this setting.
More than could be said of Prince Harry, just a few rows behind, who looked disengaged and like a petulant, sulking teenager.
So close to William and Kate, the position of the Middletons meant that it was nice to know that if Kate needed to catch a friendly eye, they were nearby.
She was, and always has been, in very safe hands with such a close and loving family unit supporting her. I would be lying if I said it wasn't a 'pinch-me' moment – the Middletons' key position in this unique episode in British history. And quite right, too, as they are the people who have shaped our future Queen into such a calm and composed soul.
You can see this in how she balances Royal duty, marriage and parenthood. She will always put her family first, and even during this goldfish bowl moment she was making sure her two youngest children could take it all in and enjoy the occasion.
But like a professional athlete, there is always a hidden army of support people underpinning their achievements.
Kate's ballast is her happy childhood and the grounding her parents gave her. I feel she will come to rely more on their support in coming years, as the King's new, slimmed list of working Royals places more responsibilities on the younger, more relatable Prince and Princess of Wales.
So how has this sporty little girl, who so loved dousing me, her Uncle Gary, in water fights in the Middleton family back garden, become the future Royal Family's most prized asset?
Knowing her like I do, I'd say it is her authenticity. She's a very genuine person. I don't think you could pretend to be anything you're not when you're in the spotlight for a never-ending period of time. The cracks would show.
In a way, I think she has become a conduit between the old-school monarchy and modern life as most of us experience it.
James Middleton and Pippa Matthews with their parents Michael and Carole Middleton arrive for the coronation ceremony of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in Westminster Abbey, on May 6, 2023 in London
I love the fact that Charlotte is turning out to be Kate's mini-me, while George took his role as page so seriously – a straighter back you won't ever see – and Louis is proving to be the mischief maker in the family.
How Kate manages to spin all those plates simultaneously, with the eyes of the world on her, is almost superhuman.
I think it helps that she has never sought the limelight. She doesn't seek attention, that's not Kate; in fact, she's almost the reverse.
Wikipedia ought to have a picture of her under its entry for the words 'kind' and 'thoughtful'.
That's who she is; it is in her DNA and her bones.
We should celebrate the impact the Middleton family has had
She quietly gets on with the task at hand, taking her duty very seriously while making it look effortless. She is very respectful of the institution and manages to balance duty and family perfectly. Which, of course, made the contrast between William and Harry so marked.
There was Harry, awkward personified, behaving like a spoilt brat, flying back to LA that quickly for his son's birthday party.
I mean… you get a birthday every year, whereas your father becoming King is kind of a big deal.
He was trying desperately hard to make the day about him and it was absolutely brilliant everybody ultimately ignored him. Harry who?
Then we had William, trying to catch his father's eye, giving him moral support and sending him positive vibes. With all that's happened in recent years, it's brought them closer together as a unit.
It feels it's the Middleton family template that William will be using to raise his own family. We should celebrate the Middletons and the impact they have.
William certainly has: he's always ensured that, unlike other Royal in-laws, the Middletons are a non-negotiable inclusion. The late Queen made a point of inviting them to Balmoral, Royal Ascot and Sandringham.
The Middletons' sense of family, and their creative outdoors spirit, will be moulding George, our future King, after all.
Kate was brought up in a family where hard work and attainment were acknowledged and
