Prince William Just Hired Princess Diana’s Divorce Lawyers—But It’s Not for the Reason You Think

Still, it’s not what you think: Yes, Mishcon de Reya, the firm that represented the late Princess of Wales during her divorce from Prince Charles in 1996, has been formally hired by William, according to Richard Eden at The Daily Mail. But the reason has less to do with his almost 14-year union to Kate Middleton (which, based on recent appearances, seems happy and solid) and is more about a break with royal tradition and doing things his own way.

You see, for decades, the royal family, King Charles included, has relied on the legal services of Harbottle & Lewis—in particular, attorney Gerrard Tyrrell—per the piece. The change of firm marks a pointed attempt by William to do things differently than his father and—according to Eden—“strike out on his own.”

That said, it’s hard not to draw a line to the past, when Princess Diana chose Mishcon de Reya’s deputy chairman, Anthony Julius, to represent her during her very contentious divorce from then-Prince Charles following their separation in 1992. (The pair famously battled over everything from her right to retain her HRH title to their Kensington Palace apartment before finally agreeing on divorce terms in the summer of 1996, one year before Diana’s tragic death in Paris in August 1997.)

But ever since Charles became king, William has repeatedly (and publicly) discussed his intention to modernize the monarchy, especially when the time comes for him to ascend to the throne. “I’m trying to do it differently and I’m trying to do it for my generation,” he said about his public role during an interview with the BBC late last year.

Still, news of the legal shift was unexpected. One thing’s for sure: Royal times, they are a-changing.