Kate Middleton: A Princess Diana for Our Time?

Will Britain's Prince William marry longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton this year? That's the current buzz. Although the couple isn't yet engaged, Tina Brown noted that Buckingham Palace has quietly blocked out two days in June - ostensibly, she says, for an announcement of a royal engagement.

Whether it happens then, later, or never, parallels have been drawn between Kate and William's late mother, the iconic Princess Diana.

Is Kate the new Diana? Yes!

Kate and Diana do share similarities. Both are young and dress in conservative yet elegant attire - not the typical royal frumpy look.

The paparazzi love both women, famously pursuing Diana until her final moments of life. Similarly, Kate is splashed across the covers of British newspapers and magazines. Both Diana and Kate are photogenic, with bad photos of either woman being rare to nonexistent.

Both Kate and Diana have a special way with the public, gravitating towards the common people and interacting easily with them.

Is Kate the new Diana? No!

Despite these similarities, there are numerous hints that Kate differs from Diana in some major ways - most of them positives for Kate.

Diana appeared shy and demure when she began dating Charles, but as the years went by she began to mature and show a steely resolve, often refusing to do what the royal establishment expected of her. Kate is older than Diana (Diana was just 20 when she married Charles; Kate is currently 28), and has had more time to form a persona and live on her own. Public relations guru Max Clifford says, "You get the very strong impression that Kate is lovely and natural and will do exactly what is expected of her. Diana was never going to be that person."

Although she had great people skills, Diana famously stated that she was "thick as a plank" and always seemed to feel inferior regarding her lack of formal schooling. Kate has a university degree and is widely seen as savvy and sharp-minded.

The media loved covering Prince Charles' romantic conquests, but as his future wife, Diana was expected to be a virgin (hello, double standard!). Contrast this with William and Kate taking a romantic trip together Seychelles, apparently with no fuss from the press. Times are changing.

Would Diana approve of Kate?

No one can predict the future, and people have ways of changing unexpectedly in response to life events. But at this point, it appears that William may face the future with wife his mother would have been pleased with. Kate and Diana appear to share traits that will help Kate in her possible future as a royal bride.

SOURCES:

Yahoo Buzz Log
New York Daily News: Kate Middleton: 'The New Diana'