Exclusive
TOUGH COOKIE
I’ve seen Princess Kate in action – she ignores petty rows, is extremely popular & just keeps going, reveals royal pro
Watch our Royal Exclusive video above for historian Gareth Russell's insights
KATE Middleton is “extremely popular” and “ignores petty rows”, in a similar way to the Queen Mother, claims a royal historian.
Speaking on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show, Gareth Russell said he has spotted a number of similarities between the Princess of Wales and the late royal, who passed away in 2002.
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The historian told The Sun’s Royal Editor Matt Wilkinson: “I do think the Princess of Wales is very like the late Queen Mother.
“The Queen Mother in her lifetime was an extraordinarily popular figure, even into the 1990s she was outpolling Diana, sometimes as the nation's favourite royal.
“She was hugely, hugely popular and part of the secret that she had was that she sees it as a marathon, not a sprint.
“And I do think Kate has that very clear long-term vision of you don't sweat the everyday.
“You plan five, 10, 15 years and you don't really let yourself get dragged into easily by the smaller details or the headlines every week.”
Gareth added that it’s actually a lot “trickier in today's society” for Kate than it would have been for the Queen Mother to do.
This year has been tough for the Princess of Wales, having undergone abdominal surgery in January and bravely announcing that she is now undergoing cancer treatment.
Royal fans went into a frenzy after Kate’s Mother Day photo was pulled by photo agencies over editing fears.
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The mum-of-three has taken a step back from royal duties since Christmas, although Prince William told fans this month that she is “doing well.”
Gareth continued: “I also think the Princess of Wales is tough in the best way possible.
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“I use that as a compliment in the way I do with the Queen Mother.
“I think you have to be someone who is prepared to protect your private life, which the Queen Mother very much did with her husband and her two daughters and also kind of keep putting one foot in front of the other and just keep going.”
The Queen Mother - maiden name Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon - was married to King George VI and the couple had two children, Princess Elizabeth, who became Queen Elizabeth II, and Princess Margaret.
She became Queen Consort after George's brother King Edward VIII abdicated the throne on December 11, 1936.
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Edward wanted to marry American divorcée Wallis Simpson, but as King he was head of the Church of England, which at that time did not allow divorced people to remarry.
Rather than abandon his plans to wed Simpson, he chose to abdicate in favour of his brother Albert, who became King in his place on December 11, 1936, under the name of George VI.
She [the Queen Mother] was hugely, hugely popular and part of the secret that she had was that she sees it as a marathon, not a sprint
Gareth Russell
King George VI and Elizabeth were crowned King and Queen on May 12, 1937.
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Elizabeth would remain Queen Consort until King George VI's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
She died at the age of 101 on March 30, 2002.
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When was the Queen Mother's funeral?
QUEEN Elizabeth, the Queen Mother passed away on March 30, 2002.
She died in her sleep at the Royal Lodge, Windsor Great Park, with her surviving daughter Queen Elizabeth II at her bedside.
She'd been suffering from a persistent cold for the previous four months.
Her younger daughter Princess Margaret had died just seven weeks earlier.
The funeral of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, took place on April 9, 2002, in Westminster Abbey, London.