Taking a page from her book. As Duchess Kate’s kids continue to get older, the royal’s parenting has seemingly been influenced by the late Princess Diana, royal etiquette expert Myka Meier exclusively told Us Weekly.
“I think what [Kate] probably has learned in a sense is how to keep her calm. For instance, Princess Diana, there [was] so much stress and so much pressure all the time. And I think we’re seeing the Duchess of Cambridge follow that same path of keeping her calm, even if maybe behind closed doors [she] doesn’t feel like that,” Meier shared with Us on Wednesday, July 6, while promoting her partnership with PayPal. “But [Kate] does an excellent job of not ever letting onto anything but graciousness. I think that’s something she took from Princess Diana’s book, for sure.”
The late royal, who shared Prince William and Prince Harry with ex-husband Prince Charles, died at the age of 36 after sustaining injuries in a car crash in Paris. At the time of her passing in 1997, William was 15 and Harry was 12.
The Duke of Cambridge, 40, went on to marry Kate, 40, in 2011. They share Prince George, 8, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4. The Duke of Sussex, 37, for his part, exchanged vows with Meghan Markle in 2018. The couple, who previously stepped down from their senior roles in the royal family, share son Archie, 3, and daughter Lilibet, 13 months.
While speaking with Us, Meier pointed out that Kate’s successful approach to parenting includes not taking her children to etiquette training.
“It’s actually been said and known that the children are not undergoing actual etiquette training. The Duchess of Cambridge is actually teaching them herself,” Meier told Us. “So kind of how it works internally is as they’re preparing to go meet somebody or get off an airplane, then really the Duchess has been doing a wonderful job of teaching the children.”
The Beaumont Etiquette founder continued: “[She is] saying, ‘Now we’re going to meet this person. This is what you do. This is how you curtsy.’ And what I love is that it doesn’t seem like there’s any pressure to be something they’re not. These are just beautiful little children and they’re showing respect and doing it in the best way that the Duchess and the Duke [of Cambridge] have known to teach them really.”
According to Meier, the way Kate responded to her children’s behavior at the Platinum Jubilee is the best example to set forward. Last month, Louis made headlines for his reactions at various appearances while celebrating Queen Elizabeth II‘s 70 years on the throne.
“I thought she did so well. Any parent or person who has a little one in their lives knows how difficult it can be. She kept her cool and it made her even more relatable and lovable than ever,” the author added. “She handled him. She corrected him, but yet she didn’t cover his mouth. She didn’t do anything that would’ve been eyebrow-raising. She really handled it so graciously and just like a pro.”
Meier, who trained under the Royal Household of Her Majesty the Queen, is now using her royal etiquette experience to work with PayPal. The partnership provides tips on different financial scenarios that others may be dealing with following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I wanted to partner with PayPal because we wanted to share tips on how to navigate some of these tricky situations. These new challenging money situations we are encountering from a birthday party to a barbecue, it could be all these different things,” the Florida native explained. “There’s just so many questions. So we said, ‘Let’s come together and let’s answer these questions and make it easy for people. [Let’s] take out the awkwardness of talking about money, sending and requesting money, which now PayPal makes it just so easy.”
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
