Russell Myers Pushes Back on ‘Waity Katie’ Label
Princess Kate’s early reputation as a “wallflower” while dating Prince William has been challenged by royal editor Mr Russell Myers, who said the Prince of Wales was drawn to the fact she was not overawed by him during their university years. The comments were shared as part of a new podcast discussion revisiting the couple’s early relationship.
Hello Magazine reported that Mr Myers argued the relationship was not “love at first sight” but grew from mutual respect, adding that William was attracted to Kate’s calm attitude as their bond formed at the University of St Andrews.
Mr Myers, the royal editor at The Mirror, spoke on HELLO!’s A Right Royal Podcast while promoting his book about the Prince and Princess of Wales. He said Kate was often criticised with labels such as “Waity Katie” and portrayed as someone who “didn’t have a job”, but he suggested that view missed how the relationship developed naturally in its early stages.
The couple met at St Andrews in 2001 and went public with their relationship during a ski trip to Switzerland in 2004. Their engagement followed in October 2010 during a private holiday to Kenya, and they married the next year.
The renewed focus on their early years comes as the Waleses continue to balance public life with privacy, with previous reporting also revisiting the pressures around their relationship, including Prince William’s remark after the couple’s 2007 breakup.
HELLO!’s podcast episode forms part of ongoing media interest in how the Prince and Princess of Wales navigated intense attention before marriage, and how those formative years shaped their approach to royal life today.
