A small royal history lesson: in her first years of marriage, Princess Diana worked a lot while she was having babies and being a hands-on mother. But starting in the mid-to-late ‘80s, Diana and Charles were mostly living separate lives and their marriage was in a bad place. They were basically only together for public events, and Diana began undertaking more solo work. This was because she genuinely liked to keep busy, to help people, and because she had separate charitable interests than her husband. Her solo work also happened because Charles couldn’t stand to be around her. Keep that in mind when reading Dan Wootton’s latest, all about how the Duchess of Cambridge is finally “ready” to do more solo events. Wootton is being a bit shady at times in this piece.

Kate turns down meetings? The answer is a young lady from the Home Counties who remains so painfully shy she still turns down requests to attend meetings with many senior officials and high profile figures alongside her future king husband.

Kate was a triumph in Copenhagen? Those on tour with Kate believe she performed even stronger on tour, including an impromptu moment where she joyfully went down a children’s slide, because her husband wasn’t alongside her.

A bold, but quietly implemented, new strategy for Kate: Kate will become the most publicly prominent female in the Royal Family. With her three children growing up and a glaring shortage of senior royals to deploy, Kate, who recently turned 40, has accepted she will start making semi-regular appearances at home and abroad without William by her side. Crucially, her husband has agreed that, gradually over the next few years, when the couple set out on tour, Kate will step up to conduct more solo engagements.

A royal source speaks: ‘What will happen is that when the couple go on visits abroad it will be more like what Charles and Diana did, where they each branch out and do more engagements on their own. They’ll go to the same country, but she’ll go her way and he’ll go his.’

A strain on William? Courtiers acknowledge this could put some strain on William, just like it did his father Charles, when the cameras naturally gravitate towards his more glamorous wife. However, William is far more assured than his father was in the 1980s. The source added: ‘That can have its difficulties because then you see the Press will only be following her jobs. And that’s what happened with Charles and Diana. William will be seen as the boring bloke in the blue suit. The blood royals always make out they don’t want the attention, but of course they do. However, William is fully accepting of his wife’s popularity. Their marriage is strong. He understands this is an important moment.’

Painfully shy Keen Kate: ‘She’s painfully shy,’ another royal source explained. ‘She’s so much better at speaking now. When she’s interacting with kids, she’s very good and very natural because she’s got three of her own.’

Kate went vroom-vroom on a big slide: The most striking and memorable part of the trip was when Kate squealed with delight as she slid down a metal slide in high heels while visiting the Lego Foundation PlayLab at University College Copenhagen. My royal sources insist it was a genuinely impromptu moment that probably wouldn’t have happened on a more formal visit with William. The source said: ‘Kate was definitely freer. That slide looked like it was set out and that was always going to happen. But that absolutely wasn’t the case. If William had been with her, I doubt it would have happened.’

Kate is inspired by Princess Mary: My source said: ‘Princess Mary is very polished and sharp but she’s ten years further down the line than Kate. She’s 50 now and you can see a Queen in her. But originally she was a girl from Tasmania. It’s very obvious that Kate has been struck by that. Kate is growing into the role. She’s juggling it with three kids. There is a confidence in the marriage and a confidence in her personality.’

[From The Daily Mail]

My guess is that William actually has mixed feelings about Solo Kate. On one side, he’s pleased he doesn’t have to do events with her, because he cannot even hide his disgust with her hand-flapping and open-mouthed gawping when they’re in public at this point. On the other side, William is petty and jealous and it probably will drive him crazy when Kate gets more attention. Still, he’ll be glad to have Kate off on her own, doing busywork and making an ass out of herself. It will give him more time to garden.

Also: it’s increasingly clear that Kate’s Keen In Copenhagen tour wasn’t actually about soft diplomacy or Brexit or strengthening European relations. It was just about Kate doing photo-ops for the British papers. The goals were purely domestic. CP Mary knew she was being used too.

Photos courtesy of Instar, Backgrid.

North America Rights Only – Copenhagen, Denmark -20220222-Catherine Duchess of Cambridge Visits the LEGO Foundation PlayLab at the Carlsberg Campus, University College Copenhagen, Denmark, on day one of a two-day working visit with The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood. -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: PA IMAGES/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing

North America Rights Only – Copenhagen, Denmark -20220223- Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visiting Stenurten Forest Kindergarten. The Duchess was there to hear about their approach to learning, which focuses on social and emotional development. -PICTURED: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: Ian Vogler/Daily Mirror/PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing

North America Rights Only – Copenhagen, Denmark -20220223- Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge is welcomed by Queen Margrethe II and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark during an audience at Christian IX’s Palace on day two of a two-day working visit with The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood. -PICTURED: Crown Princess Mary and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: Owen Humphreys/PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing

North America Rights Only – Copenhagen, Denmark -20220223- Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visiting Stenurten Forest Kindergarten. The Duchess was there to hear about their approach to learning, which focuses on social and emotional development. -PICTURED: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: Owen Humphreys/PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing

North America Rights Only – Copenhagen, Denmark -20220223- Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark walk across the courtyard at Amalienborg, the home of the Danish royal family on day two of a two-day working visit with The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood. -PICTURED: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Crown Princess Mary -PHOTO by: Doug Peters/EMPICS/PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing

North America Rights Only – Copenhagen, Denmark -20220222-Catherine Duchess of Cambridge Visits the LEGO Foundation PlayLab at the Carlsberg Campus, University College Copenhagen, Denmark, on day one of a two-day working visit with The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood. -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: PA IMAGES/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing

North America Rights Only – Copenhagen, Denmark -20220223- Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark walk across the courtyard at Amalienborg, the home of the Danish royal family on day two of a two-day working visit with The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood. -PICTURED: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Crown Princess Mary -PHOTO by: Doug Peters/EMPICS/PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing

North America Rights Only – Copenhagen, Denmark -20220222-Catherine Duchess of Cambridge Visits the LEGO Foundation PlayLab at the Carlsberg Campus, University College Copenhagen, Denmark, on day one of a two-day working visit with The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood. -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: PA IMAGES/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing

Ballerup, DENMARK – Catherine Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton) pictured during a visit to Forest Kindergarten in Ballerup, on the second day of her 2-day visit to Denmark. Pictured: Kate Middleton BACKGRID USA 23 FEBRUARY 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / UK: +44 208 344 2007 / *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*

Copenhagen, DENMARK – Catherine Duchess of Cambridge visits the team leading the Playful Learning Programme, a partnership between the six university colleges in Denmark and the LEGO Foundation with a vision to enhance children’s creative and experimental approach to learning. Her Royal Highness will be given an overview of the program before joining a group of students taking part in activities as part of their learning. The PlayLab is a creative learning environment for students who are training to be early years professionals. The idea of playful learning is based on the concept that children who play develop the essential skills which will help them navigate through adult life, including problem-solving, negotiating, adapting, and thinking strategically. Pictured: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton BACKGRID USA 22 FEBRUARY 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / UK: +44 208 344 2007 / *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*

Copenhagen, DENMARK – Catherine Duchess of Cambridge visits the team leading the Playful Learning Programme, a partnership between the six university colleges in Denmark and the LEGO Foundation with a vision to enhance children’s creative and experimental approach to learning. Her Royal Highness will be given an overview of the program before joining a group of students taking part in activities as part of their learning. The PlayLab is a creative learning environment for students who are training to be early years professionals. The idea of playful learning is based on the concept that children who play develop the essential skills which will help them navigate through adult life, including problem-solving, negotiating, adapting, and thinking strategically. Pictured: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton BACKGRID USA 22 FEBRUARY 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / UK: +44 208 344 2007 / *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*

North America Rights Only – Copenhagen, Denmark -20220223- Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visiting Stenurten Forest Kindergarten. The Duchess was there to hear about their approach to learning, which focuses on social and emotional development. -PICTURED: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: Ian Vogler/Daily Mirror/PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing