Prince William might be second in line to the British throne, but that doesn’t mean his wife, Kate Middleton, can’t start preparing for her impending role as Queen Kate.
In this week’s issue of Us Weekly, royal expert Rebecca Long confirmed that the palace is slowly introducing the Duchess of Cambridge, 37, to matriarchal duties.
“Kate’s been taking on new responsibilities little by little over the last few years, so it won’t be a shock when the time comes,” Long told the mag. “William and Kate are the favorite royals to take the crown in many generations, so the people of the U.K. are very excited about it.”
Middleton’s training consists of one-on-one meetings with the queen or her team, where they spend hours discussing the future of the monarchy. Although it’s mainly been done in private, that all changed last month when the duo visited King’s College in London, marking their first-ever solo outing together.