As The Daily Express put it, Kate “began her royal journey in William’s shadow, and was shy at times in the early days.” That was a long time ago, though, and now “her confidence has grown,” the outlet reported, and she often undertakes solo engagements, like Monday’s outing to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the Irish Guards.

It is certainly not a competition (just so we're clear), but Prince William and Kate Middleton, too, have endured so much in that same timeframe: the deaths of both Prince Philip in 2021 and Queen Elizabeth in 2022;