One royal has spoken about “the pressures applied to younger members of the family”

The Prince and Princess of Wales visit Southport Community Centre in 2024
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The royal family is the most talked-about in the world. And from their official outings and fashion statements to their ongoing social media presence, they never fail to make headlines.

But along with the growing accessibility of modern royal life comes a great deal of work, with the younger generation of the fold in particular facing mounting pressure to keep up with modern advancements.

This week, Princess Kate's 2010 statement about the "daunting prospect" of becoming a royal resurfaced, prompting conversations around the pressures of the job.

However, this is not the first time a royal family member has spoken about the pressures faced within the fold, with Princess Anne giving a candid interview about royal life to mark her 70th birthday back in 2020.

The Princess Royal attends the Coronation Big Lunch in 2023

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The interview, which featured in 2020 documentary, Anne: The Princess Royal at 70, saw the senior royal reflect on life as a Mountbatten-Windsor, revealing that there is far worse pressure for young royals nowadays, compared to when she started senior duty.

"Kate Middleton faces worse pressure than I did - it's more difficult," the now 74-year-old reportedly explained during her appearance in the ITV documentary. "The pressure that is applied to the younger members of the family, it's always worse. That's what the media is interested in. That's hard sometimes to deal with.

"But there was no social media in my day, and it's probably made it more difficult," she continued, going on to touch on the advancements of online technology, and how it's affected the job. "With online technology… being in touch is one thing but it’s not quite the same. The ability to meet people, that’s what makes the difference. I know what Twitter is, but I wouldn’t go anywhere near it if you paid me frankly. But that’s a slightly different issue.”

Well, that's that.

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.