The Older Woman
Prince Charles had 12 years on Diana, and Prince Philip has five years on Queen Elizabeth. But the tradition of older, supposedly wiser grooms at royal weddings ends with Kate Middleton — William's elder by six months. Unlike Diana, who exuded a youthful unease from her very first engagement photos, Kate has routinely demonstrated the poise and maturity of an older woman. When William unceremoniously dumped her in April 2007, photographers snapped her out on the town looking carefree and fabulous — and her wayward prince eventually came crawling back. She pairs that resilience with an ability to stay cool under pressure. "She has behaved impeccably," says Catherine Ostler, the former editor of Britain's high-society magazine Tatler. "She's never said anything silly or had a tantrum or hit a photographer." If only the same could be said of all the Windsors.