How Kate Middleton Still Religiously Follows Prince Philip's 'Golden Rule' for Royals

Kate Middleton has followed Prince Philip's "golden rule" for royal life – by focusing on the people in front of her rather than the cameras trained on her during public duties.

OK! can reveal the 44-year-old royal, who has been married to Prince William, also 44, for more than 15 years, is said to have absorbed the lesson from Philip's decades beside Queen Elizabeth II.

Philip died at age 99 in 2021 after 73 years of marriage to the Queen, who died at age 96 the following year. As Britain's longest-serving consort, he carried out thousands of engagements and was connected with more than 780 organizations.

Royal biographer Gyles Brandreth, 78, wrote in Philip: The Final Portrait that Philip advised Kate not to keep looking toward the cameras surrounding her on engagements, but instead to concentrate on whoever she was speaking to.

Brandreth quoted Philip as saying to the future queen: "If you believe the attention is for you, for you personally, you're going to end up in trouble. The attention is for your role, what you do, what you're supporting. It isn't for you as an individual. You are not a celebrity. You are representing the royal family. That's all."

A source told us Philip's camera advice was a "golden rule" he wanted to pass on to Kate.

Brandreth wrote Philip worried about fame going to the heads of newer members of the royal family, but was "relieved" that his grandson William had found a "level-headed girl" in Kate.

Brandreth added: "I have been on (a) walkabout with the Duchess of Cambridge. She does not look at the camera. Whenever she is interviewed, Catherine talks about the matter in hand, never about herself."

Kate was known as the Duchess of Cambridge before becoming Princess of Wales in 2022, when King Charles III, 77, succeeded Elizabeth.

Her position has put her alongside William at ceremonial occasions, charity visits and major royal events, with scrutiny accompanying much of her public work.

Philip also offered support to Diana, Princess of Wales, who was 36 when she died in 1997.

Diana married the then-Prince Charles at 20 and faced extraordinary press attention during her years inside the royal family.

Royal biographer Ingrid Seward, 77, wrote in Prince Philip Revealed: "When (Diana) found the restrictions of royal life difficult, it was Philip who helped her."

Seward continued: "Once she was married, she never sat next to her husband (Prince Charles). She was always sat next to Philip at the endless black tie dinners, and he took care of her."

After Philip's death on April 9, 2021, William paid tribute to his grandfather and specifically recalled the relationship he had developed with Kate.

He said: "I feel lucky to have not just had his example to guide me, but his enduring presence well into my own adult life – both through good times and the hardest days."

William added: "I will always be grateful that my wife had so many years to get to know my grandfather and for the kindness he showed her."

Kate has undergone a remarkable transformation from a middle-class university student to the woman expected to one day stand beside the King as Queen.

Her journey into royal life began when she met William while studying at the University of St Andrews, before their relationship eventually led to their spectacular 2011 wedding at Westminster Abbey.

Since becoming a working royal, Kate has steadily built her own place within the monarchy, supporting the sovereign while developing a portfolio focused particularly on early childhood and mental health.

She became Princess of Wales following Queen Elizabeth's death in 2022, marking another significant step towards her eventual role as Queen.

Her evolution has taken place under intense public scrutiny – from her earliest days as William's girlfriend through marriage, motherhood and increasingly senior royal responsibilities. As wife to the heir to the throne, Kate is now positioned to become Queen when William eventually succeeds King Charles.