Kate Middleton May Changes Royal Protocol When She's Queen Consort

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last updated 22 August 2021

When Prince William takes the throne, his wife, Kate Middleton (opens in new tab), will become queen consort.
A royal insider told Us Weekly (opens in new tab) that Kate may make some changes to royal protocol when she's in charge.
Specifically, Kate reportedly wants to be more accessible to the public when she's queen consort, both in person and virtually.

Kate Middleton (opens in new tab) has been a picture perfect royal-by-marriage (opens in new tab) and proven that she can follow any royal rule that's thrown at her. But just because she's great at following the sometime-archaic royal rules (opens in new tab) doesn't mean she agrees with all of them. In fact, some royal experts think she might make some very big changes to how things works in the royal family when her husband, Prince William (opens in new tab), becomes king.

When Will takes the throne (opens in new tab), Kate will be promoted (opens in new tab) to a new royal title too: Queen Consort. And with that new title will come new power to make changes. Being queen consort will mean a lot of responsibility, of course, but no one doubts that Kate is ready for it.

"Kate has flourished into a queen in waiting in front of everyone’s eyes," a royal source told Us Weekly (opens in new tab). "The royal family could not be more pleased."

So what might Kate want to change about the way royal rules work when she's in charge? She's apparently really focused on being more accessible to the public, which takes a huge cue from her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana (opens in new tab), aka "the People's Princess (opens in new tab)."

"Kate may change some of the outdated royal rules when she becomes queen [consort]," the source explained, adding that Kate also wants to make more time to meet and speak with the public at official events. "She’s also been very present on social media and has gotten comfortable doing TV interviews and virtual chats. She’s keen to continue that in the future as well."

We'll just have to wait and see what specific rules Kate might change when she gets the chance.

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.