Kate Middleton Is Making Diana Proud by Keeping on the Princess of Wales' Legacy

She never met her husband's beloved mother, but Kate Middleton is dedicated to keeping Princess Diana's memory and spirit alive.

Stepping out for the Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace in December 2018, Kate looked typically immaculate. The Princess of Wales epitomized glamour and class in a navy Alexander McQueen gown, but the crowning highlight was the Lover's Knot tiara, which she inherited from her late mother-in-law, Diana. The piece was known to be Diana's favorite, making Kate's style statement a touching tribute to the woman who raised her husband, Prince William, until her untimely accident in August 1997. It was the eighth time Kate had worn the glittering headpiece, cementing it as her most treasured tiara as well.

Those close to the princess, 41, revealed that she is determined to pay homage to Diana in every facet of her life. From her hands-on parenting to her devotion to social work, Kate in honoring Diana's legacy as "the People's Princess" in ways big and small — and coming into her own as one of Britain's most beloved royals.

Although Kate was never able to meet Diana, who passed away at the age of 36, a confidante said the princess "owes her everything" — particularly her devotion to family above and beyond royal duty.

Diana's sons have said she "smothered" them with love. As William shared in the HBO special Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy, "she gave us the right tools and has prepared us well for life."

No one can attest to the power of Diana's parenting style better than Kate herself. "William is a wonderful husband and father," said a royal source. "He dotes on his wife and children, and Kate knows those are values his mother instilled in him."

While it's heartbreaking to know that William and Kate's children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, will never get to meet Diana, the Wales continue to keep her memory alive.

"We constantly talk about Granny Diana," William said in 2017. "Putting George and Charlotte to bed, I try to remind them that there were two grandmothers in their lives."

Kate is following Diana's example by engaging in all aspects of the kids' lives rather than passing them over to handlers. "She organizes her entire schedule around them, like Diana did," said a source. "She refuses to miss a second, especially since William speaks so fondly of the time he shared with his mother."