The Duchess of Cambridge ‘would have to be superhuman not to feel the pressure’ as future queen.
Myka Meier, royal etiquette expert told PEOPLE that the future Queen is a role model to the UK but also to the world, which means all eyes are on you. After three months of quarantine, the duchess is back to royal duties. Together with her husband, they are adjusting to the void left by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s departure from royal duties.
The 38-year-old mother of three returns to the spotlight and faces increasing expectations as future Queen. Kate is trying to fulfil it at a time when the public is reevaluating old institutions and their place in modern society. Sarah Gristwood, author of Elizabeth: The Queen and the Crown, tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story that those who know Kate say there is a real core of strength and she did set her mind to the job. At the same time, Kate would have to be superhuman not to feel the pressure.
With Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leaving their royal positions, this puts Kate closer to the centre of the royal family. “Without Meghan and Harry, there is going to be a phenomenal workload on Catherine and William,” said an insider close to the royal household. “None of the older [generations] can do it all. The pressure is on the two of them.”
The change has brought renewed scrutiny and a recent cover story in the UK’s Tatler magazine wrote that the Duchess of Cambridge felt stressed and overwhelmed by the void left by Harry and Meghan’s exit. The palace lashed out on the story’s ‘inaccuracies’ and threatened legal action against Tatler. According to an insider, Kate “certainly would resent someone saying that she is struggling,”
“I can understand why she would feel that is a total misrepresentation of the truth because it really isn’t the case. If anything, she is relishing the role more than ever. And she will do it all to the best of her ability,” the insider added. Kate is expected to perfectly fulfil multiple roles as the future Queen raising a future King. The roles include princess, supportive spouse, hands-on mom, international bridge-builder, charity advocate, style icon and more.
“The future Queen is a role model to the U.K. but also to the world, which means all eyes are on you,” says royal etiquette expert Myka Meier, author of Modern Etiquette Made Easy. “The added pressure of having cameras everywhere to catch even the slightest eye movement makes everything she does a conscious effort. From the perfectly poised posture to the way she descends a staircase or gets out of a car—it is all carefully done.”
With all eyes on Kate, it means even her style choices carry enormous weight and that expectation extends to her children — Prince George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 5, and Prince Louis, 2, as well.“I think the pressure is more about her public image, making sure she is wearing the right brands, showing the kids in less expensive clothing, especially right now,” says an insider. “Small details, but they matter.”
Kate does not let the pressure show, like Queen Elizabeth. And she has found increasing confidence with her royal work, which has helped propel her forward. “Catherine is the sort of woman who will take on whatever she needs to,” says the close source. “If she needs to step up to the plate, she does it—and she always has.” /TISG