Kate Middleton wants to take a 'supportive' role when William becomes King - as she's 'allergic' to 'PR gimmicks'

Daily Mail​

25-04-2025

The Princess of Wales sees her future role as Queen as a 'supportive' one, palace insiders have revealed.
Kate, 43, is said to have been inspired by the work of Prince Philip, who always made it clear that his role was to support the monarch - then his wife, Queen Elizabeth II.
In a new piece published in The Times, several sources 'that know the couple well' shed light on what the future could look like when William and Kate take to the throne.
For Kate, this will mean 'acting as a gatekeeper to ensure that William can do his work while also finding time to be a hands-on father, and that everyone understands that this is the deal'.
In addition, sources say she is 'allergic to any PR gimmicks', instead choosing her own authentic approach - for example, the highly personal video announcing she had cancer on camera from a bench in Windsor last year was her own idea.
Kate and Prince Philip enjoyed a good relationship, with Prince William saying he was thankful that Kate, who married into the royal family in 2011 after meeting William nearly a decade earlier, had 'so many years' to get to know his grandfather.
And now she appears keen to follow his approach to 'make an individual contribution', while at the same time 'being clear' that her main role is to support the King.
Elsewhere in The Times piece, insiders claimed that the Prince of Wales wants to move away from 'ribbon-cutting' and focus on work with tangible impact.
Recent months have seen William, 42, make his focus on other initiatives clear.
In October, he revealed he took 'inspiration' and 'guidance' from his mother Princess Diana in his work to end homelessness, where he was also seen giving out hugs while visiting a charity.
Speaking in an ITV documentary titled Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, the Prince of Wales showed the behind the scenes journey of his campaign Homewards, which charted the first year of the project.
The future king has set his sights on making rough sleeping, sofa surfing and temporary accommodation a thing of the past in his ambitious five-year initiative programme.
'I've slowly tried to work out what I can bring to the role and platform that I have,' he explained.
'I have taken some inspiration and guidance from what my mother did, particularly with homelessness.
'I don't believe we should be living with homelessness in the 21st century.'
William also described it as a 'unique opportunity' to create lasting change, as he builds on the legacy of his late mother Princess Diana.
He has long been passionate about the issue of homelessness and is royal patron of charity The Passage, after visiting one of their shelters with his mother when he was 11.
In 2009 he spent a night sleeping rough to understand the plight of the homeless at Christmas and has joined a Big Issue seller at his pitch for the last two years in a row.
Homewards brings together a range of organisations to develop solutions in Newport, South Wales, three neighbouring Dorset towns, Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch, the south London Borough of Lambeth, Belfast, Aberdeen and Sheffield.
The Prince and Princess Wales will celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary next week in romantic style - at an isolated self-catering cottage for two on the Isle of Mull in Scotland.
The couple, who walked down the aisle at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011, are visiting the Scottish Isles as part of a two-day visit to highlight their resilient local communities, as well as the wild natural beauty of the region.
They will arrive on Tuesday and undertake a number of engagements in picturesque Tobermory - made famous by the hit children's show Balamory - visiting a community hub and an artisan market.
Kate and William will also visit a local Croft to learn about sustainable farming and hospitality.
But as part of their efforts to highlight the importance of the self-sustaining economy in the Inner Hebrides they plan to rent a house for the night on the island, it can be revealed.
Speaking to The Times , sources have alleged that William wants to reframe his role as being one for 'projects not patronages' - which is why his efforts to champion the Earthshot Prize, and similar initiatives, have been so ardent
The couple are both more at home in the countryside than anywhere else, making it the perfect way, say sources, for them to also celebrate their first wedding anniversary since Catherine revealed she was in remission from cancer.
The couple have endured what William last autumn described as a 'brutal' year, making their time away even more precious.
A royal source explained that the tourism industry contributes 'significantly to the economy of the Isles', which see hundreds of thousands of people visit every year, adding that the Prince and Princess are looking forward to 'showing their support for the islands with their stay'.
Known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay - and Lord and Lady of the Isles - William and Catherine will be visiting both the Isles of Mull and Iona.
It is their first visit to the Inner Hebrides, which Their Royal Highnesses have been keen to visit for some time, it is understood.
The focus of their trip is to highlight rural island communities and the stunning natural environment in which they live.
Mull and Iona are breathtakingly beautiful places - home to dramatic mountains, ancient forests, and stunning beaches, as well as an abundance of wildlife, lochs and waterfalls.
Mull is known as the one of the 'larders of the UK' with its plethora of family-run independent businesses selling produce that has been fished, farmed or produced on the islands.
Iona, its tiny neighbour, is popular with visitors thanks to the unique place it holds in the history of Scotland. Both have thriving tourism industries in the summer who come for the breathtaking landscapes and coastlines.
A source said: 'For The Duke and Duchess, this visit is all about the power of communities, and highlighting that by building stronger and better-connected communities we can perhaps build a steady path to more loving and compassionate society.
'What we will see on their visit to the Inner Hebrides is that we can learn powerful lessons from ways of life on Mull and Iona, specifically about how we reconnect with each other.
'The simpler way of life that these island communities enjoy, steeped in nature and built on strong person to person connections, offers a powerful model for transforming our own health and wellbeing, and in turn the communities within which we live.'