Kate Middletonis well-prepped for her royal role.
The Duchess of Cambridge has had a lifetime to learn fromQueen Elizabeth— first as a subject from afar, then as a member of the royal family for 11 years.
Although her roots aren’t royal (as the oldest of three children of entrepreneur parents, she grew up in an affluent but not aristocratic family), her instincts are —including a natural affinity for connecting with the public.
Kate Middleton.Karwai Tang/WireImage
Kate, like the Queen, is “able to make each person feel that they are being seen for the three seconds she talks to them,” author and historian Amanda Foreman, author ofQueen Victoria’s Buckingham Palace, tellsPEOPLE in this week’s cover story.
This quality, adds Foreman, “projects immediacy and makes it feel intimate, which is amazing — there are people who simply can’t do that. It is training plus innate talent.”
And diligent preparation.
“Catherine always does her homework and doesn’t go on visits on a wing and a prayer,” says an insider. “She has read the papers and puts in the effort. She is a hardworking person.”
As patron of a number of charitable organizations, Kate stays informed on key projects and initiatives and spotlights their work through her various engagements.
Kate Middleton.John Sibley - WPA Pool/Getty Images
Kate is also a modern woman who is nonetheless amenable to the centuries-old power structure of the family business.
“It’s a personal willingness to conform to the requirements of the institution,” says historian Sarah Gristwood, author ofElizabeth: Queen and Crown. “That sounds like an unappealing, unglamorous virtue, but it’s an important one if you’re going to be a successful cog in the royal wheel.”
For more on howKate Middletonhas the perfect role model in the Queen, pick up a copy of the latest issue of PEOPLE on newsstands on Friday.
Not one to hand down explicit “lessons,” it’s unlikely the Queen has ever formally tutored Kate. Instead, Gristwood tells PEOPLE that the Queen may have approached her relationship with Kate the way she does with prime ministers.
Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William and Kate Middleton.GEOFF PUGH/POOL/AFP via Getty
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As the Queenbegins her summer holidayat Balmoral Castle in Scotland this week — two months after her 70 years on the throne was celebrated across the U.K. and the world — she’s doing so with confidence in the fact that Kate and her husbandPrince Williamare ready for their royal duties in the months and years ahead.
source: people.com
