KATE THE GREAT

The title Princess of Wales isn't all Kate shares with her late mother-in-law - there are many similarities between these two remarkable women

- NICI DE WET

A PRINCESS for the people. A caring person who loves her kids and shows kindness to young and old. A woman who most closely resembles Diana. A royal with one foot in tradition and the other in modernity. The Firm's not-so-secret weapon. All of this and more have been used to describe Kate, Princess of Wales, and even more so since she's stepped into a greater public role.

While drama, rifts, and feuds plague the palace, the one constant is Kate and it's likely she'll be required to put her dimpled smile and easy elegance to good use in the months ahead, especially in the run-up to King Charles' coronation.

Kate may not have the dazzling charisma of Di, but royal insiders say she's come closest to being like the woman whose title she inherited. It's easy to compare her with the mother-in-law she never met. Yes, there's the beauty and style both women are known for. But it's the warmth that really counts and Kate, like Diana, has it in spades 

Little wonder she's being called the modern-day People's Princess. Former UK prime minister Tony Blair came up with the title after Diana died in August 1997.

Diana hugged sick children, broke royal protocol when she shook hands with an Aids patient without gloves, and helped the homeless. The public, used to a more remote and at-arms-length Firm, adored her for it. Kate, royal experts say, is following in Diana's elegantly shod footsteps.

NEW QUEEN OF HEARTS

Kate's magic touch is becoming more and more noticeable and her body language, especially with children and vulnerable people, has been praised for "inviting closeness".

She doesn't hesitate to hug kids and she engages with them at eye level, a technique she knows makes them feel comfortable.