The 11-year apprenticeship she served as Duchess of Cambridge stood her in good stead for her next position as Princess of Wales.
Now, as she gives her all to her latest royal role, Princess Catherine is not only focusing on doing the best job she can with the extra responsibility she has taken on, but preparing for her next step up to Queen Consort.
“Kate is very much a millennial queen-in-waiting who will continue to bring stability and continuity to the monarchy,” says royal author Katie Nicholls. “She is a huge asset to the family and no-one sees that more than the King. He absolutely recognises and appreciates what she brings.”
Katie says one of the reasons Kate has won the admiration of not just senior royals like King Charles, 74, but the public, is the way she’s been able to balance motherhood with taking on added responsibility.
“She hasn’t been afraid to show us that image of herself as a royal mother,” says Katie. “Her great success is being there as a future Queen Consort, supporting her husband Prince William and being a hands-on mum, and managing to juggle all of these roles.”
Fellow royal writer Emily Andrews says building a happy family life behind the scenes for her and William, 40, and their children Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, has been crucial.
“Life revolves around the children. Most weekends are spent horse riding, bike riding, or watching football, gymnastics or swimming events. Family comes first, but now all of the kids are at school, there’s more time for her public role and what she wants to achieve there.”
The eight months since the Queen died have been challenging for all working members of The Firm, with the stress of a coronation, a change in roles and the need to figure out how things will work in the future. For Kate, becoming the Princess of Wales has brought with it the added pressure of being compared to her predecessor, Princess Diana.
“She knew she had sizeable shoes to fill, but she’s really stepped up to the plate,” Katie says. “She’s used the title to put the spotlight on issues that really matter to her. She’s doing it in an understated way, and really winning favour and support. She knows it’s a more high-profile role and an important title with a huge amount of history, heritage, weight and burden. But what’s so charming about her is that she has managed to stay very true to herself and authentic.”
Kate, 41, has certainly charmed the public in the weeks since the coronation. She wowed with her piano skills in a video clip played as part of the Eurovision Song Contest, and revealed a passion for beekeeping when she shared a photo of herself collecting honey from a busy hive in the grounds of her Norfolk home, Anmer Hall.
And she won over a group of schoolgirls when she admitted learning to be royal was a struggle. During a visit to an organisation that uses sports stars to mentor young people, she opened up about how she’d never thought about becoming a royal until she fell in love with William. She also mentioned it was a challenge bringing up three children with very different personalities.
Kate shows the hive who the real Queen Bee is!
Kate also visited a school as part of the UK’s Mental Health Awareness Week and joined a discussion with experts in which she said she believes emotions should not be “over-medicalised”, particularly in young people. Instead, she said children should be encouraged to learn skills that would benefit their mental health to help them not just at school but in all aspects of their lives.
Emily says Kate has thrown herself into researching topics like mental health and early childhood development because her desire to help make changes in these fields is a long-term commitment she’s very serious about.
“She has spent the last 10 years listening and learning – she is very academic and studious. Societal change is what she wants.”
While Kate learned a lot from the Queen after marrying into the royal family in 2011 – including never complain, never explain and just get on with the job – she has realised it’s important to remain true to herself.
“If Queen Elizabeth embodied a stiff upper lip, the millennial queen-in-the-making has chosen a modern path,” tells Emily. “Feelings are to be validated, mental health is to be prioritised and laughter is to be encouraged. There is a lot of weight on her shoulders with the new status and responsibility, but she is going to pave it in her own way.”
