Prior to joining the Royal Family, Princess Kate was a regular citizen who had a relatively normal upbringing. Of course, once Prince William proposed, the Princess of Wales's life changed dramatically, and she must have been forced to undergo a huge adjustment period. According to a new book, wedding planning left Princess Kate looking "like a rabbit in headlights."
In his new book, William and Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story, royal expert Russell Myers explored what happened prior to, and directly following, the couple's engagement. "Naturally, William was accustomed to courtiers creating a hive of activity around the big state occasions," the royal author shared. "But this was an entirely new experience for Catherine."
Myers continued, "Having been prevented from seeing much of the inner workings of the palace machine until her engagement to William was announced, and having had the sparsest of contact from the palace communications team, even as she had struggled with life in the spotlight, she was now faced with the reality of the world she was entering."
Understandably, Prince William's team had a lot of work to do following the royal engagement news, particularly as the couple prepared for their wedding.
"A team of 20 aides was immediately assigned to the palace to help with the planning," Myers explained. He continued, "Catherine's nervousness was evident. The palace team took charge of facilitating everything from the venue to the reception, to Catherine's choice of dress designer and flowers, right through to liaising with the government and police to ensure the public would be able to join in the momentous national occasion."
Discussing Princess Kate's reaction to the huge response to her engagement news, one palace courtier told Myers, "It's fair to say she looked like a rabbit in headlights. We did our best not to bombard them with information, as much would be taken out of their hands anyway, but I think the speed at which the whole operation had to get off the ground was a surprise to both of them."
Luckily, Princess Kate embraced her new role within the Royal Family and quickly became a firm favorite with royal fans.
