One will show you the ropes: Duchess of Cambridge will join Queen for Diamond Jubilee engagements Pic: © Rex Features
As the Queen celebrates her Diamond Jubilee - sixty years to the day since her accession to the throne, it has been reported that the Duchess of Cambridge is to accompany Her Majesty on two very important Diamond Jubilee engagements next month.
The Queen is said to be particularly fond of Catherine and is keen to help her settle into royal life and provide her with as much support as possible as she embarks on her first official solo engagements, while Prince William is in the Falklands.
Kate has been invited to Buckingham Palace for ‘chats’ to help her understand the importance and protocol of royal engagements, and who better to advise the 30 year old, than the Queen herself.
An insider told the Daily Mail: “The Queen has developed a great affection for Kate and wants her to feel fully supported.
“She knows how big a step carrying out official duties will be for Kate and has offered to have regular meetings to make sure she feels prepared.”
Speaking of their Diamond Jubilee engagements, the source added: “The engagements they will carry out together promise to be invaluable learning opportunities for Kate, as well as being a real honour.”
When Kate and William married in April last year, no one was more delighted than the Queen.
A royal courtier told The Mirror: “The Queen was so happy on the wedding day, she was practically skipping. Seeing her family full of joy but also seeing the public support and excitement touched her greatly.”
She was particularly impressed with the way the Duchess conducted herself during her first official overseas royal tour to Canada.
“Canada is extremely important to the Queen and everyone was watching and wondering how Kate would do. Anyone entering the Royal Family has to work to build up trust and prove that they are committed and up to the job.
“So far, Kate has shown herself to be more than willing and more than capable.
“She is humble and keen to learn and the Queen likes that. She has grown very fond of her and recognises the impact she is having on the public,” the source gushed.
Kate will fly solo this week when she visits the National Portrait Gallery’s Lucian Freud exhibition, for a private viewing of the late artist’s work.
On Wednesday February 14, Valentine’s Day, the Duchess is swapping candlelit dinners for a day in Liverpool visiting The Brink - an alcohol-free bar linked to Action on Addiction, which Kate is a patron of – and Ronald McDonald house at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
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