Kate had 'reservations' about taking over royal title last held by Diana

The Princess of Wales initially hesitated about taking on the royal title once held by her late mother-in-law, Diana.

Catherine had "reservations" because of the strong emotional connection between the 'Princess of Wales' title and Prince William's mother, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

But she ultimately chose to take on the title when King Charles ascended the throne on September 8, 2022.

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The Mirror's royal editor Russell Myers details Kate's hesitation in his new book, William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story.

"While Catherine had a full appreciation of the history associated with the role, she was determined to find her own path," Myers writes.

When she was married to then-Prince Charles, Diana was known as The Princess of Wales.

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Following their divorce, she was able to style herself as Diana, Princess of Wales minus the 'the'.

And when Charles later married Camilla Parker Bowles, now Queen Camilla, she chose to use the Duchess of Cornwall title taken from her husband's secondary position as Duke of Cornwall.

It was out of respect to the late Diana's memory that Camilla decided against using the Princess of Wales title.

Kate did consider using the title Duchess of Cornwall, like Camilla, when William inherited the title upon his grandmother's death in 2022.

But ultimately, she and William became known as the Prince and Princess of Wales.

King Charles announced his son and daughter-in-law's new titles on September 9.

Myers writes in the book: "Catherine had also privately expressed to William and to Charles her reservations about taking over the title, conscious of the British public's exceptional feeling for, and connection to, Princess Diana even 25 years after her death."

A former senior aide told Myers: "This tells you how considered she is.

"She is benevolent with her intentions, but also wishes to carve out her own role for both herself and her family, which in many ways looks very different to how generations of royals have acted in the past.

"She is very aware the pace that she wants to progress and the way in which she sees her future role within the institution, and I think when she was convinced to take the title on, and there was a bit of convincing, she felt that while there would be inevitable comparisons with Diana, she could manage it in her own way while having full respect for the way Diana carved out a very different role for herself within the royal family."

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