‘It’s always worse’: Princess Anne opens up on why Royal life is so much harder for Kate Middleton than it was for her

Being born as a royal or becoming a part of that family really does seem like living life on easy mode, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. There are unique challenges that come with the territory of being a royal, and according to Princess Anne, it’s even harder for younger royals like Kate Middleton.

Without a doubt, Princess Anne is a beloved figure across the U.K. due to her commitment to royal duties. She’s consistently been named the hardest working royal – last year alone, she attended 217 royal engagements and she probably would have attended even more if it weren’t for her being injured by a horse, which landed her in the hospital back in June. Her work ethic puts her head and shoulders above the rest of the Royal family, yet she’s continued to remain relatively humble.

In a documentary from 2020 that celebrated the Princess’s 70th birthday, Anne explained that the younger generation of royals face a great deal more scrutiny – something which has only been made worse by social media. Comparing it to her own experience as a working royal, she stated that she believed things were harder for younger royals.

“The pressure that is applied to the younger members of the family, it’s always worse. That’s what the media is interested in. That’s hard sometimes to deal with. But there was no social media in my day, and it’s probably made it more difficult.”

Young royals like Kate Middleton have a lot more to worry about

For the newer generation of royals, like Kate, it seems like every move is being scrutinized. A perfect example came last year, when prior to the Princess of Wales announcing her cancer diagnosis, the internet was filled with conspiracy theories trying to explain where she was or what had happened to her – and who could forget that infamous edited Mother’s Day photo? Everybody was prying and everyone had their own take on the situation, but it must have been pretty difficult for Kate and her family to have to deal with the public frenzy all the while processing the devastating news.

Then, of course, you have Harry and Meghan, who are constantly hounded by people online, to the point where it seems like their reputation may never recover.

So it’s no surprise that Anne would think things are tougher for royals today. She places a lot of the blame on modern technology, stating: “With online technology… being in touch is one thing but it’s not quite the same. The ability to meet people, that’s what makes the difference.” I’m sure we’ve all heard similar arguments from grandparents or even our parents who tell us that things used to be better back in their day. It seems life nowadays is not as good as it used to be for everyone, and it’s no different for members of the Royal family.