Kate Middleton will commemorate her 10th year as a working royal in April 2021, which happens to be her 10th wedding anniversary with Prince William. Before their wedding, however, the Duchess of Cambridge was said to have learned a relevant lesson from Princess Diana, the Princess of Wales.

In the documentary, When the Middletons Met the Monarchy, royal commentator Tom Quinn revealed that Kate was advised to watch videos of Princess Diana to learn how to deal with the press. Quinn also said that this was a "salutary lesson" for Kate from her late mother-in-law because the Duchess of Cambridge needed to accept that a large part of her life will be public.

Royal commentator Katie Nicholl wrote in the book, Kate: The Future Queen, that the Duchess of Cambridge was indeed "bizarrely" asked by senior royal aides to watch some footage of Princess Diana to pick up relevant lessons. The Palace wanted to make sure that Kate will not be subjected to the same treatment in the media as William's mother.

This happened before Kate was not officially a member of the royal family but because of the public's growing interest of her, as Prince William's girlfriend, the Palace had to be cautious.

Kate had to learn how to deal with the media since she didn't have any protection officers just yet. She was also advised not to have her pictures taken or interact with the paparazzi.

Nicholl said that Kate was able to apply what she learned for the first time during a royal event at Gatcombe Park, where several photographers were present. Kate had to turn them down politely and said that she will have to keep doing it if she relented to their request.

Psychologist Anjula Mutanda said in the same documentary that the royal spotlight can bring a "hugely stressful impact" to someone who wasn't used to the attention, such as Kate. Her parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, also needed to learn how to deal with the press because the Middletons were also observed and criticized by the media.

According to witnesses, when the Middletons would "bump" into a reporter at very odd hours in their community, they would simply tell them that they do not talk to the press.

Nicholl said that the royal aides also learned a valuable lesson from Princess Diana's situation in their relationship with Kate. Instead of shunning her family, as what happened with the Spencers, they learned to embrace the Middletons. The royal expert said that William also wouldn't allow Kate to be isolated from her family since the Duke of Cambridge adores his in-laws. (Business Times)