Apparently Queen Elizabeth II is very fond of Kate Middleton and has been so for years.

The Queen quickly saw that Middleton's goal was not to become a duchess. Royal writer Andrew Morton, in a new interview with OK!

After the marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana ended in betrayal and tragedy, the Queen also seemed determined to help the Cambridges make their relationship a success.

"She has spent more time supporting and nurturing the relationship between William and Catherine than she did with Prince Charles and Princess Diana," Morton explained. 'She wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. Everything that happened in [Kate and William's] relationship was quite strategic and well thought out over time."

Morton believes that the Queen learned a lot from her relationship with Princess Diana and as a result decided to open up. 'I think we've seen the Queen slowly unravel from her past,' he said. 'To me, the monarchy seems to be a more relaxed institution than ever before, and I think that's thanks to the queen. The formalities are still there, but they are much more relaxed than they were 50 years ago."

In The Palace Papers (open in new tab), Tina Brown, another royal writer, describes the feeling that prevailed in the royal family in the early 2000s. Their motto at the time, Brown explains, was "We don't want Diana's second act": they wanted to avoid her "explosive celebrity," Brown explains. And while the Duchess of Cambridge is widely beloved, she and her husband, no doubt aided by the queen's wise counsel, have made every effort to avoid scandal throughout their marriage.