Prince William: Is the heir jealous of wife Kate Middleton, like Charles was of Diana?

Rumour has it that Prince William is finding it difficult to cope with a special situation with Kate Middleton...

Kate Middleton Prince William jealous King Charles Princess Diana
© Samir Hussein / GETTY IMAGES
Kate Middleton Prince William jealous King Charles Princess Diana

The British Royal Family continues to excite the crowds. The ups and downs of the drama surrounding the Firm since Prince Harry's 2020 departure from the UK with his wife Meghan Markle and their two children have kept people on their toes.

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Even without the Sussexes, the Royal Family is somehow involved in dramatic situations. Since the beginning of 2024, the health issues of senior members of the family have been rocking the world. These events have also forced royals to adapt and we have seen a change in who the people at the forefront are.

Shifting the attention of the media is always something the Firm is conscious of. In 2024, it is no secret that a royals' image is their most important currency. Unfortunately the sanctity of their image is repeatedly being tattered by opinions and claims from royal commentators and fans. No one escapes it, and every royal has their turn in the spotlight.

Including Prince William and Kate Middleton, who have faced their fair share of negative coverage especially over their relationship.

A situation that annoys Prince William

Talking to Mirror, royal author Tom Quinn alleges that he spoke to an anonymous source who said:

Kate treats him [William] like the fourth child because he's prone to tantrums.

The source didn't stop there, they added details about possible marital issues the couple could have.

They do have rows. It's not a perfect marriage. They have terrific rows.
But, where some couples have a row and throw heavy vases at each other, William and Kate throw cushions at each other. It's always kept under control.

According to Quinn, Queen Elizabeth's motto 'never explain, never complain' is the guideline the couple follows which helps them whatever issue they may have.

An opinion shared by another source in the Daily Telegraph. The person claims:

When William goes into a tantrum, it's often Kate who calms him down. She's more the type to ask him to let it go

An angry temper that can manifest itself in a very specific situation... but what about when his wife Kate Middleton steals the show at official events?

Express reports the words of Roya Nikkah who explains:

The only thing I know that does slightly bother him is when he is cropped out of photos.

Can that be called jealousy?

Prince William's temper is now famous, but some royal experts don't buy the idea that the Prince would be jealous of his wife because of media coverage.

For instance, The Mail on Sunday's assistant editor Kate Mansey told Mail Online:

I don't think it's jealousy of Kate.
It's more that Kate and William have worked hard to create an image of themselves together as a united front.

This would lead the Prince to wish for a coverage that would involve both of them. Moreover, the royal commentator highlights the fact that Prince William understands the media's attention for his wife - after all she is the glamorous one.

Another expert, Hannah Fernando, the editor of Woman and Woman and Home Magazines adds:

Catherine has no wish to eclipse him.
She has taken on this life, opened her arms to it, and learned along the way what she needs to do.

We do know that Kate received advice for senior members of the Firm...

Could William be repeating history?

For some, the rumours about Prince William's jealousy are reminiscent of his father, King Charles III's behaviour. As a reminder, the latter had little patience for the media treatment of his wife Princess Diana, nor for the British people's infatuation with the young woman.

On that, royal expert, Andrew Norton spoke to Business Insider and said:

Obviously Diana, never mind the personal difficulties they had, but on the public stage she overshadowed him. She was the star of the show and he wasn't.

Concluding:

And it was something that he found very difficult to take

To compare Prince William to King Charles seems to be a difficult thing to do. Indeed, while the Princess of Wales is recovering, the heir to the throne has done nothing if not try to include her in his royal engagements. More than once he has mentioned her and expressed that she would have loved to join him.

Royal expert Roya Nikkhah also explained:

Charles was always very upset when Diana overshadowed him, which was all the time. William is delighted that people are warm to Catherine... He's comfortable with that. I've heard him talk about Catherine's work and his enthusiasm for it, and he loves the fact that she's popular

This article has been adapted from Oh!mymag France

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Sources:

Daily Record: Kate Middleton treats Prince William 'like a fourth child due to his temper tantrums'

Express: Prince William ‘disappointed’ by what happens almost every time he’s in a photo with Kate

Business Insider: King Charles struggled to accept that Princess Diana overshadowed him, according to her biographer Andrew Morton: 'She was the star of the show'

Royal Family: Here’s how they performed in GCSE, from Prince Charles to Kate Middleton Royal Family: Here’s how they performed in GCSE, from Prince Charles to Kate Middleton