It was March 19, 2012 when a nervous Kate Middleton—known as the Duchess of Cambridge at the time—took the podium for her first-ever public speech. While she had been married to Prince William for nearly a year, the duchess hadn't made an official royal speech until she visited one of her first patronages, East Anglia's Children's Hospices. Looking back on the speech 13 years later, one royal expert has praised the now-Princess of Wales for how much she's achieved since that historic moment.
The Duchess of Cambridge—dressed in a royal blue Reiss dress she'd borrowed from her mother, Carole Middleton—praised the hospice's efforts to raise money for its new Treehouse facility during the speech, saying how she "felt hugely honored" to be there. Afterward, the duchess was reportedly overheard telling an attendee, "I find doing speeches nerve-racking."
Although some royal experts and fans criticized the royal's inexperience with public speaking—including a heavy reliance on notes—others praised her genuine warmth during the speech. Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told the Express that Princess Kate's public speaking has greatly improved since 2012.
"Catherine’s public speaking style has come a long way from her early attempts," he shared, adding how "her speeches now reflect her natural charm and enthusiasm."
"Catherine reportedly initially confided that she found public speaking 'nerve-wracking' and was clearly nervous in her early speeches such as that given at the East Anglia Children’s Hospice," Fitzwilliams said. Although her early speeches reflected nervousness, he continued, "It is no mean feat to acclimatize oneself to the demands of one of the most pressurized public roles in the world, that of the future Queen of England."
Today, the Princess of Wales is often seen giving speeches at events and conferences, along with speaking in videos for social media, such as her 2024 cancer announcement.
Fitzwilliams noted that the princess "now speaks in public with conviction and poise," adding that "her confidence comes both from experience and also from mastering her brief and also believing in it."
As for future opportunities, the Princess of Wales has slowly returned to a more normal schedule of engagements after announcing she was in remission from cancer. From visiting a women's prison to spending time with patients at the same hospital where she was treated, the princess has been showing a renewed confidence with her return to the public eye.
