Meghan Markle had to walk before Kate Middleton could have the chance to run.
Whether you like it or not, the “rebel royal” has had a positive influence on the British royal family as a whole, and on her sister-in-law in particular.
So why are Middleton’s efforts at being “normal” like her sister-in-law falling flat?
This week, she and her husband, Prince William, surprised nursing home residents by calling in for their Bingo game .
The future King and Queen Consort of England were, of course, trying to connect with their constituency in an authentic way. And for what it was worth, their elderly constituents were genuinely happy about it.
Who would have thought that this is what the “stiff upper lip” image of the monarchy would have come to?
Clearly, too, they borrowed more than a few pages from Meghan Markle’s book of authentic engagement. Like it or not, the former Suits actress — like Princess Diana before her — has a knack for connecting to the “everyday people.”
Perhaps Kate Middleton wanted to, as well.
In a pre-Princess Diana world, the British royal family was seen as remote and out-of-touch with their constituents.
But in a post-Diana world, Meghan Markle — and by extension, Kate Middleton — should be striving to be “the People’s Duchesses.”
Yes, only Middleton will eventually become future Queen Consort. But her crown doesn’t make her superhuman.
And based on the brutal comments on her surprise Bingo appearance, it seems as though there’s still some resistance to this authentic engagement.
It’s as though Middleton should be behaving like Donald and Melania Trump — prancing and preening around a gold-plated apartment in high heels while ignoring her children — instead of being a Queen Consort, a wife, a mother, and a badass woman.
And the question really begs itself: Why is it a bad thing if Kate Middleton — and Prince William — are just like us?