KATE Middleton’s absence from royal life has been “felt so hugely” that she’s now seen as an “irreplaceable” member of the family.
The Princess of Wales was admitted to hospital on January 17th for abdominal surgery, with Kensington Palace confirming she would remain at The London Clinic for 10-14 nights, and will then recuperate at home until after Easter.
According to brand and PR expert Denise Palmer-Davies, Kate’s stint in hospital has only cemented her place in the family and shown her to be “the most valuable jewel in the crown.”
Denise, director of Borne Media, told Fabulous: “Kate’s commitment and dedication to royal life is unquestionable, so her absence will be felt so hugely.
“It would be impossible for anyone else to step into her shoes during this time because there isn’t anyone who can do what she does. She is irreplaceable.
“Her knowledge and dedication to early years, and her work in shaping our future generation, is so unique to her and such a personal project that there isn’t another family member who can take the reins or slip into that role.
“Kate also has this incredible aura - much like her late mother in law, Princess Diana - that cannot be replicated. She has always been held in high regard by the King, and the late Queen, but I think now senior members are really feeling it - they are missing the most valuable jewel in the crown.”
Talk TV’s royal editor Sarah Hewson agrees, saying her break from royal life “highlights how central she is in the family.”
She said: “She’s one of its most popular members, she certainly is the most photographed. But it’s not about the number of engagements that she does, it's about the impact that they have, and that she's able to have, because when she does something, it gets noticed.
“As the late Queen said ‘We need to be seen to be believed’ so when Kate isn’t there, you really do notice it. She brings the star dust, and that's really essential to a monarchy that needs to reach out to a younger generation. They are certainly missing her sparkle.”
Sarah added that had “things had been handled differently” by Prince Harry and Prince William, Harry and Meghan could have stepped up into Kate’s shoes.
“I think they could have been invaluable,” Sarah said. “They could have helped to relieve some of the burden and sprinkled the stardust where it's needed.
“I think Harry in particular will have a genuine sadness that his sister-in-law is having to go through this, but also the feeling that they could have played a role.”
However, Denise believes Meghan wouldn’t have “coped with playing second fiddle” to Kate.
She said: “It is clear from both sides that there was a lot of tension between Kate and Meghan, and I believe part of that was because Meghan couldn’t cope with playing second fiddle to Kate.
"You can understand why she might find that difficult - she was an only child showered with attention and was put on a pedestal in Hollywood. The fact is she couldn’t shake off that sense of entitlement when she joined royal life, I don’t think she respected the hierarchy, so when I think about Meghan stepping into Kate’s shoes now, I don’t think she’d be pleased about it because ultimately she is just the understudy.”