It has been announced, in Britain that the next heir to the throne, Prince William, is to marry Kate Middleton next year.
Marriage is a major decision for any of us to make but Kate will be joining the British royal family, and will become the wife of a future King of England.
That means that she will also be starting a new job and there will be enormous stresses to overcome, at least in the beginning.
When she takes on her new position as the future Queen consort, there will be the expectations she has of herself together with the expectations that others have of her and that means a careful balancing act.
Already the media have been comparing her with Prince William's late mother, Princess Diana, but she will have to make her own mark as an individual.
That will be easier said than done as she will be expected to conform to British tradition and the expectation of the public.
Will she fit in with the rest of the team, which in this case is the Royal family? The customs, traditions and royal protocol will be a learning process, and without doubt, she will make some mistakes along the way.
Adjustments
But the same goes for any of us when we take on a new job and have to make adjustments. Kate will need to learn to communicate and negotiate her way within a new, royal environment upon which the spotlight is never switched off.
She will have to prove herself to be adaptable and flexible, as obviously she was not brought up to be Queen the same way as William was brought up to be King.
However, she will bring with her a new perspective and new ideas that will assist in making the royal family one that is at ease both with itself and with the British public. But she will have to watch out carefully for the conservative ‘old guard' who may attempt to oppose any change and who guard their rights and privileges jealously.
High-profile stress
And, of course, Kate' s new, high-profile role is one in which the whole world will be watching her actions, her body language, her every move and every word that she says, because the simple response of ‘I do' at her wedding ceremony will ensure that she will never be a private person again, ever.
She will become ‘public property' and she will need to quickly learn how to manage the stress of high levels of security and the attention of the paparazzi.
Having said that, she will have as her mentor her future mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II, who has been such a wonderful role model over the past half a century that she will be learning from a true expert.
I certainly wish her, and her Prince, the very best of luck, joy and happiness in the future.
The author is a BBC guest-broadcaster and Motivational Speaker. She is CEO of an international stress management and employee wellbeing consultancy based in London. Contact them for proven stress strategies - www.carolespiersgroup.co.uk
Tips: Learning the ropes
- There are stresses for everyone both in marriage and in a new job.
- The future Queen consort will need to learn ‘the ropes' quickly.
- Kate Middleton will never be a private person again.
