he’s been a solid fixture in ‘The Firm’ after marrying Prince William back in 2011, but Kate, the Princess of Wales, has never been afraid to make royal life work for her.

The 43-year-old, who does not come from aristocracy, has often chosen to do things her way—even if it means side-stepping traditions that have been set in place for years and years.

And it’s greatly endeared us to Kate, who, according to a 2025 YouGov poll, is the UK’s most beloved member of the Windsors (outranking her own husband and even King Charles himself!).

So which are the rules that the Princess of Wales has rebelled against? Here, Cosmopolitan UK takes a look back at how Kate has ripped up the royal rulebook—for the better.

She said “no thanks” to the tiara

Kate left some onlookers stunned on the day of King Charles III’s coronation in 2023, as many commentators believed she would be wearing an intricate tiara to mark her ascent as the Princess of Wales.

Instead, Kate opted for a stunning ivory flower headpiece made with sequins and metallic beading. The piece matched her white dress, with both coming from Alexander McQueen.

Kate’s choice to opt for something a little less regal (although she still looked completely fabulous) perhaps came as a response to the coronation ceremony being “scaled back”—King Charles ascended to the throne during the cost-of-living crisis, and so the usual pomp and extravagance of such a grand event was scaled down in order to be more considerate.

It was also thought to be a nod to the royal family’s hierarchy that the only people wearing crowns or tiaras on this historic day should be King Charles and Queen Camilla.

She abandoned the royal convoy to chat to subjects

Usually, once an engagement is done, the visiting royal in question is whisked away in their convoy. Not Kate.

Earlier in 2025, when making a planned visit to a family-run knitting business in Wales, Kate actually jumped out of her car as she left to say hello to a particularly eager little girl.

Kate had overheard Lily-Rose loudly shouting “Hello Princess!” and felt compelled to speak to her.

The BBC described Kate’s action as “highly unusual” and “remarkable because royal convoys rarely stop after they have left an engagement.”

Kate reportedly told Lily-Rose: “I heard you say ‘hello’ from all the way back there and I wanted to come and see you,” and received a toy banana from the tot.

“It was so exciting,” Lily-Rose’s mother, Stacey, told press at the time. “We had no idea that was going to happen. I hope this is one of the things Lily-Rose will remember. Kate was so lovely. She’s very natural and down-to-earth.”

“They are far more ordinary than many might imagine—the kids even have to do chores in return for their pocket money,” royal expert and author Katie Nicholl said in an interview with The Mirror. “It’s about them wanting to have a normal, happy, ordinary family home and lifestyle.”

She’s not afraid to pose for selfies

Snapping a selfie when out and about may seem like NBD to us commoners, but it’s not something royals are meant to do.

However, at one engagement the Princess of Wales did back in 2023, she did end up posing in front of someone’s front facing camera (and who could resist potentially getting a selfie with Kate?).

While meeting the young people who have worked with the Streets of Growth youth intervention charity, Kate stopped to have photos taken with some of the volunteers.

Apparently, it was the late Queen Elizabeth II who wasn’t a fan of cheeky selfies. In 2017, a Royal fan who attended the Buckingham Palace garden party told Insider that taking a selfie with a Royal was a sign of disrespect as “they didn’t want people turning their backs to the Royal Family.”

Still, Kate didn’t seem to mind, and was happy to smile for the camera.

She’ll wear what she wants to

While Kate has established herself as a bona fide style icon (Kate’s wardrobe is so powerful, it is thought her style alone has given an estimated £1 billion annual boost to the UK fashion industry), she hasn’t always stuck to the palace’s ultra demure dress code.

In 2019, she donned a blue polka dot dress (by designer Alessandra Rich, no less) for an event. However, the garment had a rather daring front slit, which parted to reveal some leg.

Here’s the thing—we aren’t Victorians that are scandalized by the merest hint of knee. But women of the royal family have gone to extreme lengths to ensure that all of their outfits are as demure as possible.

A quick FYI: It’s customary for royal women to wear under-the-knee dresses and skirts. Similarly, if the piece is made from a lighter material, small weights are often added to the hemline to keep the garment in place.

But this somewhat ‘daring’ split makes this dotty dress all the more appealing—and we love Kate for choosing to wear it the way she wants to.

She doesn’t force her children to follow certain royal traditions

Kate may be the Princess of Wales and future Queen—but she is first and foremost a mother to three kids (George, 12, Charlotte, 10, and seven-year-old Louis).

Panthea Parker, who stars in The Real Housewives of London, has explained that she has seen Kate attend football and rugby matches that her sons play in.

She has also reportedly refused to let her children participate when it comes to a slightly more gory royal tradition.

According to Tom Quinn, the author of Yes, Ma’am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants, Kate has informed staff that her children will not be partaking in ‘blooding.’

This is when young members of the royals are taken hunting for the first time, and the “blood of his or her first kill” is “smeared” across their face.

It’s something Prince William and Prince Harry have thought to have done (Harry himself wrote about it in detail in his tell-all autobiography, Spare).

“Catherine, Princess of Wales, has put her foot down and insisted there will be no blooding for her children,” Quinn wrote.

Princess Kate Is “Controlled and Cautious,” and a “Completely Different Person” Compared to “Incredibly Engaging” Queen Camilla, Says Royal Expert

As the wife of the future king, Princess Kate must be under a huge amount of pressure. Following chemotherapy treatment for a cancer diagnosis, the Princess of Wales has been welcomed back by royal fans. But according to one royal biographer, Kate Middleton isn’t necessarily as comfortable as Queen Camilla is in the royal spotlight.

While promoting his new book, Power and the Palace, royal expert Valentine Low told GB News, “Kate is a completely different person to Camilla. She’s very controlled and cautious, and careful.”

Contrasting Kate with The Queen, the royal expert explained, “Camilla is much more outgoing. She says what she thinks, she’s incredibly engaging, Camilla, and funny.” Low continued, “That’s not to say Kate can’t be funny in private, but you know, it’s much more obviously the case with Camilla.”

Low also highlighted the differences between Kate and Camilla’s diplomatic styles. Referencing former British prime minister Boris Johnson, Low told the outlet, “As you can just imagine, Camilla sees Boris, she thinks he looks like great fun, ‘Oh let’s have him over for some tea. Can we? Can we?'” He continued, “It’s absolutely in tune with Camilla. Just so absolutely not what Kate would do.”

Low also spoke to GB News about the ways in which Prince William will handle the monarchy differently compared to King Charles. “William is very different from his father, and I think essentially, William is very aware of what he regards as mistakes his father has made, and he’s not going to repeat them,” the royal biographer explained. “And you can see that in the way that when William launched his homelessness initiative, he went out of his way to clear it with ministers beforehand, to make sure that he wasn’t treading on any political toes.”

Basically, once William is on the throne, a new era of the British Royal Family will be ushered in.

Kate Middleton Joins Prince William in Surprise Tribute to Queen Elizabeth Just Hours Before Prince Harry Steps Out

On the third anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death, the Prince and Princess of Wales visited a local Women’s Institute in a heartfelt tribute, as Harry prepares to step out in London

Prince William was joined by his wife Kate Middleton in paying tribute to his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth — on a day that also sees his brother Prince Harry’s return to the U.K.

On Monday, Sept. 8, the third anniversary of the monarch’s death, the Prince of Wales, 43, visited the Women’s Institute in Sunningdale, Berkshire, near his Windsor home and was also accompanied by the Princess of Wales in a surprise move. The outing was especially poignant: Queen Elizabeth, who died in 2022 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, was an enthusiastic member of the WI for 80 years and served as its president from 2003 until her death.

Kate, 43, who wore a black checkered dress for the outing, wasn’t initially expected at the engagement.

During the visit, William and Kate met members from Berkshire and beyond to hear how the organization — the U.K.’s largest women’s group — fosters connection, skills and community projects. He also listened as members shared stories of Queen Elizabeth’s time with the WI, where she would join in over tea, cake and lively conversation.

The outing comes just hours before Prince Harry, 40, is set to appear in London for the WellChild Awards, a cause close to his heart. He arrived earlier in the day for the event and other engagements this week.

A source tells PEOPLE that the prince is in a “positive” mood upon his arrival in the U.K. on Monday.

“He’s in a really good headspace and looking forward to seeing everyone from his charities and the causes he cares about,” the source says.

Earlier on Monday, the Duke of Sussex also paid his own special tribute to his late grandmother as he visited the burial place of Queen Elizabeth at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor to pay his respects privately and lay a wreath of flowers, a spokesperson for the duke confirmed to PEOPLE.

Meanwhile, King Charles and Queen Camilla are spending Accession Day privately at Balmoral, PEOPLE understands. The King and Queen also attended Crathie Kirk, a church near the Balmoral estate, where prayers were said to mark Accession Day and for Katharine, the Duchess of Kent, who died on Sept. 4 at the age of 92.

The brothers’ overlapping schedules highlight the continued strain in their relationship, as they are not expected to meet during Harry’s visit. Kensington Palace confirmed that William will carry out royal duties Monday through Wednesday, directly coinciding with Harry’s planned public appearances. While the brothers aren’t expected to cross paths, speculation continues over whether Harry will reunite with his father, King Charles.

The Women’s Institute was a beloved part of Queen Elizabeth’s life. In 2017, members told PEOPLE how excited they were to see her join a WI meeting following an illness. “After her severe cold, it was lovely to see her. She looked so pretty in that [megenta] color,” Mary Relph said.

Members also recalled a presentation on author Jane Austen by historian Lucy Worsley. Yvonne Browne, vice president of the West Newton WI, added, “We put on the Sandringham WI version of Cinderella. She seemed to enjoy it. She was very relaxed and chatted. We had a lovely afternoon.”

The year before, members marked the Queen’s 90th birthday a little early, raising a toast with Champagne and sharing a slice of fruit cake during her visit.

In a statement after her death, William reflected on his grandmother’s role in his life: “She was by my side at my happiest moments. And she was by my side during the saddest days of my life. I knew this day would come, but it will be some time before the reality of life without Grannie will truly feel real.”

He also reflected on the support Queen Elizabeth had given his wife Kate and their children — Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7. “While I will grieve her loss, I also feel incredibly grateful,” William said. “I have had the benefit of The Queen’s wisdom and reassurance into my fifth decade. My wife has had twenty years of her guidance and support. My three children have got to spend holidays with her and create memories that will last their whole lives.”

William and Kate’s joint outing fell days after they attended separate matches as part of the Women’s Rugby World Cup on Saturday, Sept. 6. While Kate attended the match between England and Australia, William was was seen at the game between Wales and Fiji in different locations in England.

At the match and during her visit to the WI, Princess Kate’s blonde hair transformation appeared to be a thing of the past. The royal’s hair seemed to be back to her signature brown, after she was seen with blonde hair earlier in the week, with her tresses styled in loose curls on Monday.