Kate Middleton’s secret preparation to become Queen

OPINION:

In the long and tortuous history of William and Kate, the Dukes of Cambridge’s walk down the aisle, there are many iconic moments: the see-through gown that started it all; all that kissing at polo matches; the marauding paparazzi chasing Kate around Chelsea; and the time Carole Middleton was about to ruin her daughter’s chances by chewing gum in the vicinity of the Queen.

This week marked the 10th anniversary of one of the minor, but still profoundly significant moments in Will’n’Kate’s annals: their first outing as an engaged couple.

On November 16, 2010, the world (and I’d bet Ma Middleton) breathed a sigh of relief that William had finally gotten along and proposed to his girlfriend of eight-something years. (Minus the four months they were apart in 2008, which came to an abrupt end when William invited Kate to a Freakin ‘Naughty costume party and she appeared in a short dress and fishnet stockings.)

During the photocall at St. James’s Palace, they posed for the press, showed off the stone ring, and said nice and boring things about each other to a BBC interviewer who was on his best behavior. They then disappeared back into the wilds of rural Wales, where they were living at the time, as commemorative mug factories across the nation sprang into action.

So we come to December 18, 2010, a day that will go down in real history as the first time the couple went out together after their engagement for a night of Christmas carols in rural Norfolk.

Clicking through the photo files now, it’s amazing how young and nervous Kate looks.

On the contrary, it is truly impressive how balanced, confident and comfortable the Duchess now looks.

In fact, more and more lately, Kate has started to look … like a queen.

Are alone.

And that is not an accident. Rather, behind the scenes, the palace machine has quietly but assiduously groomed the one-of-a-kind accessory shopper to one day wear a royal crown and assume the exalted, and somewhat terrifying title, and all its associated responsibilities and pressures.

Look, when Prince Charles ascends the throne and becomes King Charles III, his wife Camila will be known only as the Princess Consort and not as the Queen Consort as she technically has the right to be called. This elegant royal footwear was prepared like a breath for the British people to keep by their side when the long-term lovers finally wed in 2005.

Therefore, Kate will be the next queen of the United Kingdom.

It is a job that he has been preparing for in front of our eyes.

In recent years, we’ve seen the mother of three step up and take on a more prominent job.

In January, Kate unveiled her most ambitious project to date as part of her work defining legacy in early childhood development in the form of a national survey of early childhood. Make no mistake, this isn’t royalty just rolling around, shaking some hands, giving a cute speech, and then rushing back to the palace for a well-deserved round of snacks.

One of the experts gathered to help with the project admiringly told the Telegraph of their work: “This is not a flash-in-the-pan campaign, with a name known as the figurehead, peripherally involved. Nor is it a the person’s whimsical idea that it would be “nice to do something for the children.”

“As was absolutely clear from that first meeting, the Duchess has shaped this project. She is absolutely on the fringes of the research and data on the early years. It would be easy for her to sit down and hand it over to the experts in the room that day. , with all her PhDs. But, as we saw, she has worked hard to become an expert. That interest in the early years will last longer than politicians and even scientists. “

It was no coincidence that the same month Her Majesty entrusted Kate and William to host her first official reception at Buckingham Palace.

Similarly, in 2019, it was the couple who were chosen by the Foreign Ministry for an official high-risk visit to Pakistan. From the moment they set foot in the country, it was an impeccable diplomatic performance that surely would not have gone unnoticed by His Majesty.

When the Covid pandemic shut down much of the world this year, it was Kate who stepped in the gap and led the charge for Windsor Zoom, bringing her humor, warmth, and an abundance of bridesmaid dresses to the task.

Like her husband’s great-grandmother, the Queen Mother, during a time of national crisis, she was there, doing her bit to try to provide some emotional and psychic relief to a suffering nation.

This gradual positioning of Kate as the Queen’s apprentice is a calculated move on the part of the palace machine.

Speaking earlier this year, royal biographer Katie Nicholl said: “We are seeing a Queen on hold. We are seeing the Duchess take on more duties, more royal commitments, more of a public profile than ever.”

“She is acquiring more endorsements, she is acquiring patronages from the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

“This is all very deliberate, it is a very important part of the Palace machine that takes it from the shadows of Anmer to the forefront, to the center of attention, because they are very intelligent.

“They realize the power of Kate and the potential of Kate and William as this young, glamorous and dynamic duo who truly have the ability to reshape and project the monarchy into the future.”

It’s a far cry from what happened in 2016, when Kate (and Princes William and Harry) drew attention for the trio who made less official engagements that year together than the industrious Princess Anne.

Whatever plans the palace may have already had in store for Kate, they have potentially only been accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic. The Queen has been sent to Windsor Castle, where she and her husband, Prince Philp, have been living in “HMS Bubble”, since March, a situation that is unlikely to change anytime soon.

While the Covid vaccine could be rolling out in Britain as we speak, and Her Majesty is likely near the top of the initial recipient list, it will be a long time before anything resembling normal life fully returns.

The key to the survival of the royal family is visibility. Given the circumstances, and her much younger and more robust immune system, Kate will likely have to rise to the challenge and that we will see more of her literally at the forefront of official real life in the future.

One thing that is often neglected when discussing Kate is that, by nature, she is very shy. Consider how many, many years it took (and a pandemic) before the world began to hear your voice regularly.

She has had to overcome that shyness and reluctance and the Kate we have seen emerge in the last two years is a woman much more comfortable being in the spotlight.

The Kensington Palace courtiers wisely offered Kate a gradual immersion in real working life, unlike Diana, who was diverted in front of the crowd and left to find out what was expected of her. That sink or swim approach is long gone, and Kate is too precious a commodity for the institution to allow her transition to queen-in-waiting, but anything but smooth.

When the current queen assumed the throne it was a devastating blow, not only the death of her beloved father, but she would have to reign decades earlier than she expected.

The biggest gift you could give Kate is gradual immersion and preparation for the role.

In late November, Kate participated in a rare question-and-answer session to promote the release of the survey findings from the early years and it was a watershed moment in her trip to Queen. In the video of the virtual event she was laughing, chatting but always completely in command. The woman in front of the camera had a self-assurance that was far, far removed from the Kate who attended that Norfolk Christmas carol night in 2010.

Some may dismiss its focus on the early years as a “nice” charity project, but this year’s landmark survey and the work that will emerge from it have great potential to change millions of lives.

There is one other thing Kate has been doing surreptitiously all these years: earning our respect and that of the queen. Awesome, huh?

So everyone says hello to Queen Kate for one day. I’m sorry! Catherine. Queen Catherine. At least we have a lot of time to get it right.

• Daniela Elser is a real expert and writer with over 15 years of experience working with several of Australia’s leading media outlets.