Back in the day, the Princess of Wales’ Remembrance appearances would inspire a full week of commentary about Kate’s clothes, her hair, her body language. In recent years, a lot of that has just disappeared and I’m not entirely sure why. Granted, Kate is coming up on her 45th birthday and it’s difficult for the press to write about her like she’s still an overgrown big-girl who is still listening and learning. Therein lies the problem for Kate’s image-makers though, because they absolutely want to position her as youthful, inexperienced and too fragile to work consistently. When the tabloids try to position Kate as what she is – a 44-year-old woman who has survived the monarchy for fifteen years – it comes across as unearned and out of nowhere. Speaking of:

Princess Kate has been praised as the Royal Family’s “natural matriarch” after her stoic appearance at the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph on Sunday. The Princess of Wales joined King Charles, Queen Camilla and Prince William for the emotional service in London, as the country fell silent to honour the war dead.

As the King, the Prince of Wales, Prince Edward and Princess Anne were led out to Whitehall to stand at the Cenotaph, Kate, Camilla, Duchess Sophie and the Duke of Kent watched on from the balcony of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

And according to body language expert Judi James, Kate’s stoicism has become a rock for the entire Royal Family, and drew parallels between the Princess of Wales and the late Queen Elizabeth.

Judi told the Express : “Over the past few years of drama and scandal for the royal Firm, [Catherine] has emerged as their natural matriarch. [Kate is] a calming presence who appears to project the kind of signals of continuity and resilience that the late Queen was known for, and this role was more than illustrated by her body language, charisma and signals here today.”

The Princess of Wales’ caring nature was on display as the service began as she offered a warm, reassuring smile to a slightly tense-looking Queen Camilla when they first appeared on the balcony together.

[From The Daily Mirror]

It’s funny because Camilla is the one who should be positioned as the family’s matriarch, but everyone hates that nag. Anyway, Kate’s brand has never been “calm and capable matriarch.” Never! Her brand has gone from “too immature for any kind of work expectations” to whatever these photos actually reveal. In my opinion, they’ve got Kate looking like a whole-ass Disney villainess. Her wonky left eyebrow really adds to that effect.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.