Kate’s first royal year compare to return to royal duties after her break in Mustique

One year into Kate and William's marriage,a look at how the two women forged their paths.

By Rachel Elbaum.

Separated by a generation, Diana, Princess of Wales, and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, have traveled many of the same paths and faced many of the same challenges. And even without Diana’s engagement ring on her finger, Kate would inevitably have faced comparisons to her mother in-law.

But they share as many differences as they do similarities.

“It is almost unfair to compare the two women because of the different roles that they are playing in the royal family,” said Marlene Eilers Koenig, author of “Queen Victoria’s Descendants” and writer of the blog Royal Musings. “Not only was Diana marrying a man, she was marrying a country. The pressure on Catherine is very different because she is not the wife of the heir to the throne, which comes with its own set of responsibilities.”

Kate Middelton is currently exploring the exotic paradise of Mustique with Prince William, and once she returns to home shores, the public will be able to see her paradise  and pregnancy – glow. 

On February 19, the Duchess of Cambridge is scheduled to return to royal duties with a visit to Hope House in South London. The engagement will come as Kate hovers around the midway point in her pregnancy, meaning her burgeoning bump could make its debut.

Hope House forms part of a chain of projects runs by the charity Action on Addiction, which is one of Kate's patronages. It is an all female environment where the brunette will show solidarity with the residents.  

A spokesperson for St James Palace said of the visit "Her Royal Highness will meet clients and staff at Hope House, a 23-bed residential treatment centre." 

There is much anticipation ahead of the visit, which will be the Duchess' first public appearance since she and Prince William attended the unveiling of her first official portrait back in January. 

Kate's pregnancy has been a low-key affair so far, given that the early stages were blighted by hyperemesis gravidarum. The condition was so severe that Kate spent several days at King Edward VII's Hospital.

She's now back on form, and will resume the rhythm of royal duties with her engagement for Action on Addiction. 

Last year, on what was only her second official solo engagement, Kate supported the charity when she travelled to Liverpool's non-alcoholic Brink Bar. 

She is also already a familiar face at Hope House, but her previous visit came before the Duchess had added Action on Addiction to her official roster of patronages.

The article seems to suggest that the Royal Family are keen to avoid the mistakes made in the case of William's late mother, Princess Diana, who didn't have (or need) any training whatsoever. According to the paper, she "told friends that no forethought had been given to her future role when she married the Prince of Wales, and that Palace staff 'basically thought I could adapt to being Princess of Wales overnight.'"