How Kate Middleton Reportedly Shrugs Off Scandals That Stick To The Royal Family

The royal family has been riddled with scandals for years now. It arguably all started with the very public breakdown of King Charles III and Princess Diana's marriage in the early '90s, and it's been downhill from there. From more royal divorces to Nazi costume scandals to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's sordid downfall and subsequent banishment from the royal family, it's been rough, to say the least. But one member of the monarchy has been standing tall throughout it all: Catherine, Princess of Wales. Indeed, she's been the picture of calm and collected throughout most of the royal family's biggest PR disasters. Royal expert Gareth Russell told The Sun's "Royal Exclusive" show in 2024 that Kate Middleton's general approach to royal life and its many hurdles is the reason for this.

Russell compared Kate to the Queen Mother, who was as laid back as they came and rolled with the punches. "... part of the secret that she had was that she sees it as a marathon, not a sprint," Russell said. "And I do think Kate has that very clear long-term vision of you don't sweat the everyday." According to Russell, Kate doesn't waste her time with petty gossip or unflattering news cycles, and he praised her for being "tough in the best way possible."

Even with the scandal surrounding Andrew reaching a fever pitch in 2026, Kate held her head high. She focused on her royal duties instead of the gossip, even rewearing of her old outfits, which fashion stylist Lisa Talbot thinks was to send a message that all remains well despite the tumult. "Rewearing subtly communicates steadiness and humility. It signals continuity, responsibility and respect for the moment," Talbot told the Daily Mail.

Being a (mostly) scandal-free royal takes real effort, and Catherine, Princess of Wales clearly has a knack for letting bad press roll off her back. Something else she's adept at is not letting royal family drama deeply affect her (at least publicly). Amid Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's abrupt exit from the U.K., the couple's subsequent Netflix docuseries, "Harry & Meghan," and the prince's tell-all memoir, "Spare," Kate Middleton hardly blinked.

During a 2023 interview with "The Royal Beat," Russell Myers, royal editor of the Mirror, claimed Kate didn't keep an eye on the headlines after Harry's book was released, as she was launching her Shaping Us campaign around the same time. Myers described hearing from a palace source: "And they said, 'listen, [Spare] is in the past, [the Waleses] have totally ignored it,'" per the Mirror. Focusing on her royal obligations was reportedly much more important to her than sparing some attention for Harry's tell-all. Given how Kate has handled public backlash with the grace of a true queen over the years, this is not surprising.

Kate continued to show that she won't allow scandals to stick to her when there was an uproar in 2024 about a photoshopped Mother's Day photo she posted to Instagram. Her prolonged absence from the public sphere after her abdominal surgery in January of that year saw the rumor mill going into overdrive. Instead of trying to explain herself, Kate simply took to social media with a simple admission that she did indeed edit the photograph and "to express my apologies for any confusion" (via X). Cool, calm, and to the point. It's no wonder scandals don't get her down.