PRINCE HARRY understood his royal role better than Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, when she began her “nervous” public life, unearthed accounts claim.
The Duke of Sussex, 36, is well-known for his public speaking appearances, including during the Invictus Games, the international sporting event he founded for wounded servicemen and women.
Kate, 39, has also given many public speeches, although according to royal experts, she had more of a rocky beginning in the public eye than Harry.
The Duchess of Cambridge seemed to struggle with public speaking and appeared shy at first, commentators for the 2017 documentary, ‘Kate Middleton: Working Class to Windsor’ claimed.
Journalist Ashley Pearson told the documentary that Kate appeared “shy” in one of her first ever appearances on camera, the interview where she and Prince William announced their engagement.
“William a couple of times answered the question for her that she was asked or corrected something and was obviously very protective of her,” she said.
Ms Pearson said it was clear Kate was “not comfortable speaking on camera”, including in her first speech as patron of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices.
Journalist and author Robert Jobson said Kate’s speech for the charity came across as a “little stilted and a little disjointed.”
He said the Duchess was “more than a little bit nervous” when she had to make it, and that she has improved since, “undoubtedly” with the help of an external speech coach.
“It’s very difficult for anybody who has come from outside of the Royal Family to a full-on public figure to be brilliant at public speaking straight away,” Mr Jobson said.
“Prince Harry seems to have got it almost instantly, he’s an excellent orator, and he does it with natural charm and fun, and a degree of wit.”
Following her marriage to Prince William, Duke of Cambridge in 2011, Kate has taken on more public roles, including championing a number of causes.
Last month she launched the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, which in tandem with other organisations, will raise awareness of the importance of the first five years of a person’s life.
In a video, unveiling the launch, Kate said she wanted to “understand what more we could do to help prevent some of today’s toughest social challenges, and what more we could do to help with the rising rates of poor mental health.”
With around six staff, the initiative will be financed by the funded by the Duke and Duchess’ Royal Foundation.
In 2016 Kate used the Foundation to launch Heads Together, an initiative that aims to break down the stigma around mental health and get people talking.
Last year the Duchess also published her survey for parents, 5 Big Questions on the Under 5’s, which was filled out by more than 200,000 people.
According to body language and speech expert Judi James, when Kate has spoken about her causes in recent years, she has allowed herself to become more animated and has used hand gestures to show that she has “strong feelings”.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, the expert said the Duchess is now a more “emphatic and dynamic version” of herself, having previously used fewer hand gestures and been less expressive.
