Royal life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. As a matter of fact, the constant public scrutiny and judgement from the public can really take a toll. When Kate Middleton joined the family she received some rather blunt but useful advice from Prince Philip that likely proved useful in combating that scrutiny and judgment.
Philip’s words come from the 2021 biography Philip The Final Portrait written by royal author Gyles Brandreth which was recently revisited by Hello! Magazine. According to Brandreth, Philip was often one to dole out wisdom that he’d accrued over his many decades within the firm to the younger generation of royals.
What did Prince Philip say to Kate Middleton?
The Duke of Edinburgh was never one to mince words and he certainly didn’t hold back when giving Kate some much needed advice. “If you think the attention is on you personally, you’ll end up in trouble,” he warned the Princess of Wales, “The focus is on your role, what you do, what you support. It’s not focused on you as an individual. You’re not a celebrity. You represent the royal family.”
Basically the gist of what he’s saying is that Kate shouldn’t worry about what the tabloids and press are saying about her. Her focus should be on her work within the royal family as that’s what really matters. The fame that comes with being a royal is second to the work the royals do. Maybe Philip should have had this talk with Meghan Markle too.
What other tips did he give?
According to Brandreth, another piece of advice Philip offered was to “never look at the camera” when photographers were present at events, instead, she should look at the person she’s talking to in order to avoid feeling like a star. According to the late prince, Queen Elizabeth II never looked at the camera for the same reason.
Philip worried that younger royals could end up being consumed by the fame and forget about their royal duties, although he was apparently “relieved” that William had found a “level-headed girl” such as Kate.
Even now, Philip’s advice continues to influence how Kate carries herself and approaches public events. Broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital “[Kate] was taught by the best,” going on to reiterate that her “humility and discretion, along with Philip’s advice in dealing with life in the spotlight, has given her the strength to breeze through challenging media firestorms.”
There were likely few who knew what challenges royal life entailed more than Prince Philip who was born into Greek royalty in 1921 and married into British royalty in 1947.
Published: Sep 5, 2025 10:35 am