Kate Middleton Has Been Dubbed a Superhero for the Way She Responded to Harsh Criticism of Premature Ageing

Would you like to be a member of the Royal Family? As well as pretty dresses and endless handshakes, the role also means a life in the crosshairs of TV cameras, whether you like it or not. Kate Middleton has faced a wave of outrage over her ageing, all because of one photo.

Photo from British Vogue

Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, recently faced criticism from online trolls after a photo of her from Remembrance Sunday was published by British Vogue. The trolls’ comments focused on her appearance, with some criticising her for showing signs of ageing.

“Yikes, Kate Looks Old!” That’s the headline some articles came out under this morning claiming Kate looks too old and tired.

Ruthless critics

Critics have been merciless in their discussions of Kate’s appearance. Ordinary web users and newspapers wrote that the Duchess looked much older than 41.

• One comment observed, “40 is not that old. This is obviously stress showing on her face,” drawing attention to the subjective nature of age and the toll that stress can take on one’s appearance. The comment raises an important point about the societal expectation for women, especially those in the public eye, to defy the natural aging process.
• Over on Harper’s Bazaar UK: “She looks 60. She’s clearly just absolutely knackered. Stressed. Would guess she’s insomniac. Takes one to know one.”
• “Must say... She does look tired and not very happy,” declares a voice critical of the Duchess’s appearance, dismissing the complexities of emotion and circumstance.

To many, however, Kate seemed like a real-life superheroine

However, there were those who sided with the Duchess and supported her.

• A more empathetic comment argued, “Every time a woman over 40 is posted here, everyone moans about them looking old or ugly. This is what women look like. The age they are supposed to look without ridiculous procedures and filters. Stop adding to the problem.”
• “It’s refreshing to see someone aging gracefully. She’s natural, not pumped full of plastic,” commends a voice applauding Kate for resisting the siren call of artificial enhancements. This defender celebrates the Duchess’s refusal to succumb to societal pressures that often lead others down the path of cosmetic alterations.
• In the midst of the storm, a compassionate defender offers, “I think she looks terrific. She’s at a sad event.” This acknowledgment of the emotional context provides a humane perspective, recognizing that a moment captured on film may not encapsulate the entirety of the human experience.
  

This is not the first time the princess gets age-shamed.

This is not the first time Kate Middleton has been targeted by trolls regarding her appearance. In the past, she has been subjected to derogatory comments about her aging and physical appearance, with some trolls even dubbing her “Kate Wrinkleton”. However, Middleton’s fans have consistently rushed to her defense, condemning the online mockery and emphasizing the need to appreciate natural aging as a standard of beauty.

Kate responds to critics in Princess Diana style

Lady Diana’s revenge dress made history. The princess once took revenge on her unfaithful husband and captured the attention of the press with her outfit alone, without saying a word.

Kate Middleton, often inspired by her mother-in-law’s images, did the same. She did not begin to explain herself to the public. On one of her next outings, however, she dressed in a way that left her critics speechless. The Princess of Wales suited up for the diplomatic duty in mostly recycled pieces, topped with a new bespoke red wool cape by Catherine Walker & Co.

“It’s really intentional. On that stage, there was only one person you were looking at, and it was Kate. Over the last year, there has been a military element coming through in her style, and it really felt like a statement uniform to me and the color was striking and completely unmissable,” says the fashion expert.

“The late Queen used to say she had to be seen to be believed, and you would have been able to see Kate from a mile away! Especially with the big bold hat, there was no element of that outfit where they were pairing it back at all — it was all big, bright and bold. There was no mistaking who was being put forward as the star of the family,” she adds.

An austere outfit that accentuated Lady Middleton’s figure left all talk of her ageing in the past. She is once again being talked about as a style icon. And hopefully her detractors have become a little ashamed of their words.

Our age gives us a choice about how to grow old: to resort to procedures and plastic surgery, or to accept age-related changes with gratitude. And no one has the right to judge our choice, do they?