How One Stupid Tweet Blew Up Justine Sacco's Life (Published 2015)

Kate Middleton Disproves Major Prince Harry Claim

Hear the words "royal bride" and I'm assuming we all immediately conjure the same image: An immaculately well-bred woman with a pedigree that predates the Norman Conquest.

(That bloody Frenchie William and his expansionist notions.)

A woman who has grown up in some stately pile where the genteelly leaking roof might drip on the occasional Holbein and flatulent ancient labradors stumbling about the place.

A woman who can bag a pheasant and an earl's son on the same day without once dropping her drink and a woman totally bereft of anything so dull as professional ambition.

Prince William, to his eternal credit, was having none of it.

This Monday will mark 13 years since he wed middle-class university graduate Kate Middleton, officially marking her transition from Bucklebury convenience store regular (Haribo sweets were a particular favorite) to future Queen.

(Haribo sweets, I'm assuming, are still a particular favorite. In fact, that shop's owners Hash and Chan Shingadia were invited to the wedding.)

But have we fundamentally misunderstood, mislabeled and mistaken what Kate is really about?

And not just us but Prince Harry the Duke of Sussex too?

Harry spent the royal wedding day in 2011 seeming totally enamored with his incoming sister-in-law, grinning and looking like a man with a generous hip flask concealed somewhere on his person.

This year Kate, with the support of William, has put her recovery and her family ahead of duty. Chris Jackson/WPA Pool/Shutterstock

A decade and a bit later and he was singing a very different tune.

In December 2022 the Duke popped up on TV screens to suggest to the world that the Waleses' rose-tinted romance and all the "happily ever after" froth wasn't a case of love conquering all but of weak-kneed capitulation and of pragmatism winning out.

"I think for so many people in the family, especially obviously the men, there can be a temptation or an urge to marry someone who would fit the mold as opposed to somebody who you perhaps are destined to be with," Harry told the Netflix cameras.

"The difference between making decisions with your head or your heart. And my mum certainly made most of her decisions, if not all of them, from her heart. And I am my mother's son."

Golly gosh darn – whoever could the duke have been talking about?

Could the implication be that the Duke of Sussex had followed his heart all the way to Meghan and her authentic self while "Willy" had essentially caved and wed a woman who "fit the mold" and wouldn't mind spending her Thursdays forever more in Bermondsey opening new rec centers?

At the time that "Harry & Meghan" came out, while this particular "mold" declaration of Harry's got some media pick up, it also got lost in the wash of the stream of other revelations and clangers from the couple's singing-for-their-supper series.

Harry claimed there is a tendency for royals to marry someone simply because they "fit the mold." REUTERS

But as we approach the Waleses' wedding anniversary, we need to talk about how the wild, weird events of 2024 so far have proven the extent to which Kate cannot be written off as some mold-fitting docile popsy.

The thing is, Kate looks like a Good Girl.

She has the wavy, bouncy hair, the nice wardrobe, and she has never once thought "f—k it" and gone out on the lash with sister Pippa using the Duchy of Cornwall Amex.

Somehow the princess has managed the extraordinary feat of not once in her 4748 days (truly) of royaling to look bored senseless while making chitchat with retirees holding small flags in regional market town squares.

Kudos.

Harry might have seemingly obliquely disparaged both Kate and William with his "mold" line but I think we can say that the Princess of Wales has defied this particularly belittling label. BBC Studios

However, you know what they say about appearances.

Harry might have seemingly written-off Kate with his Netflix "mold" comment but the Princess of Wales has turned out to be something of a surprise package.

Famed Australian essayist Charmian Clift talked about her work representing "sneaky little revolutions" and I think that phrase perfectly sums up the Princess of Wales' approach to her royal life.

Consider the fact that, right now, the Princess has not made an official public appearance in more than four months besides releasing her truly shocking March video revealing she has cancer.

The royal diktat goes, duty first. Health, relationships, personal wellbeing, sanity and parenting are all meant to come second to the grinding, onerous drumbeat of royal work.

Yet this year Kate, wholly with the support of William, has put her recovery and her family ahead of the dreaded d-word.

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For centuries, to be a woman who married into the royal family required a complete and utter sublimation of one's own needs, desires and identity for the greater monarchical good.

Kate has firmly but entirely rejected this, prioritizing herself and her kids ahead of the needs of the institution.

Ditto the actual work that the Princess of Wales does in normal times.

Sure she and William are not entirely off the hook for the occasional hospital wing ribbon-cutting but they have both discreetly chucked in the traditional royal model of them doing charity by turning up with the national media every so often.

The Waleses, in the last few years, clearly thought "sod it" and decided to actually do the work and to change the world themselves, which is they now have the Princess's Early Years Foundation, the Prince's Earthshot Prize and the homelessness initiative Homewards.

Quietly doing away with a century-old royal doctrine?

Revolutionary, I tell you.

(Marx and Engels might have a different read, I'll grant you.)

And there are other ways that Kate has, again and again, shrugged off any suggestion that she might neatly twist and contort herself to squeeze into a particular mould.

For example, reportedly one of the reasons the family moved to Windsor's Adelaide Cottage was so that Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis would not grow up cosseted by the privilege and luxury of Kensington Palace and got used to having their fish fingers served via silver salver.

Or the fact that Kate's kids attend a co-ed day school.

(George turns 11 in July. By that age both William and Harry had been boarding at all-boys outfits for years.)

Or even things like, no other princess before has made a habit of quotidian things such as taking her children to shop at discount chain Homebase or packing them sandwiches in plastic lunch boxes to be eaten out of the boot of the car or having them, including a future king, help unpack Waitrose deliveries.

My point is, Kate has charted her own course with increasing confidence and a refreshing lack of traceability.

On some fronts, yes, the princess has wholly assimilated to royal ways but on the points that matter she set her own course and quietly just did what is right for her.

Harry might have seemingly obliquely disparaged both Kate and William with his "mold" line but I think we can say that the Princess of Wales has defied this particularly belittling label.

Viva la sneaky little revolutions.

Daniela Elser is a writer, editor and a royal commentator with more than 15 years' experience working with a number of Australia's leading media titles.

Prince William's Blunt Four-word Comment After Meghan Markle And Harry's Big Announcement

Prince Harry was overjoyed when Meghan Markle was pregnant with their first child, Prince Archie, and couldn't wait to share the news with his brother Prince William

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Prince Harry discusses his relationship with William in 2005

Prince William had just four words to say when Prince Harry told him Meghan Markle was pregnant with their first child.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were delighted when they found out they were going to become parents back in 2018. The pair decided to announce the happy news to the Royal Family in October that year at Princess Eugenie's wedding with Jack Brooksbank.

Harry wrote about the moment in his memoir, Spare, and revealed he told his brother while they were are at the reception in St George's Hall in Windsor. He wrote: "We were in a big room, suits of armour on the walls. Strange room, strange moment."

For all the latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US.

READ MORE: Meghan Markle slammed by Nigeria's First Lady over stars flaunting 'nakedness, everywhere'

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shared their news at Princess Eugenie's wedding reception (

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WILL OLIVER/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock) Prince William gave just a four-word response (

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POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Harry recalled William's response to his news and said he smiled and uttered just four words: "We must tell Kate." Harry also detailed the Princess of Wales ' reaction and said she was overjoyed to hear the news.

He said: "She also gave a big smile and hearty congratulations. They both reacted exactly as I hoped - as I'd wished." Meghan and Harry also told King Charles about their pregnancy at the wedding.

The Duke of Sussex said the monarch was "delighted" when he found out. Harry wrote: "Just before a drink reception for the bride and groom, we cornered Pa in his study. He was delighted to learn that he was going to be a grandfather for a fourth time; his wide smile warmed me."

Prince Archie was born in 2019 (

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Getty Images)

Meghan gave birth to Prince Archie on May 6, 2019 at the Portland Hospital, London. The Sussexes have since gone on to welcome a second child, Princess Lilibet, who was born at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in California, on June 4, 2021.

Harry also wrote about the birth of his first child in his memoir and admitted he was very nervous ahead of the birth. To calm himself down, Harry decided to try out the laughing gas that was meant for his wife.

When Meghan's labour began, however, Harry was forced to apologise for accidentally using the entire canister of laughing gas. He wrote: "When her contractions began to quicken, and deepen, a nurse came and tried to give some laughing gas to Meg.

"There was none left. The nurse looked at the tank, looked at me, and I could see the thought slowly dawning: Gracious, the husband's had it all. Sorry, I said meekly."

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'Sweet Prince' Shot To Death In Huntsville Had Just Celebrated 4th Birthday, Family Says

The grandfather of a four-year-old shot to death Sunday in Huntsville is remembering him as a "little sweet prince."

The family of Kaiden D. Everson is attempting to raise money for his funeral and expenses through a GoFundMe page.

Madison County Coroner Tyler Berryhill said the child was pronounced dead shortly after 8 a.M. Sunday at Huntsville Hospital after suffering a gunshot wound at a residence.

Berryhill referred any further questions to Huntsville police.

A police spokesman said Monday the shooting appears to be accidental, and charges could be filed. No additional information had been provided by authorities as of Tuesday morning.

In a message on the GoFundMe page, the child's grandfather, James Ahlschlager, said the child had just celebrated his fourth birthday. The last time he saw him, he said, was going to see Monster trucks.

Efforts by AL.Com to reach Ahlschlager for comment were not immediately successful.

"I am devastated," he said on Facebook. "My entire family is in disbelief and we are all having difficulties (coping) with this madness. This beautiful little boy was full of life (and) didn't deserve this."

On Facebook, Ahlschlager called Sunday "the absolute worse day of my life!!!"

"I didn't want to wake up to this news this morning," he wrote. "I can't breathe, my heart hurts, and I can't stop crying. My entire family alongside the Everson family has been devastated!!! My poor baby…Rest in Peace my little sweet prince…Grandpa will always love you and will see you soon!"

As of Tuesday morning, the GoFundMe had already raised more than half of its $20,000 goal.

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