How Kate Middleton Has Quietly Been 'Prepping To Be Queen' For Some Time

Ever since Kate Middleton married Prince William in 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London, the world has known that one day she will take on the role of Queen Consort when William officially becomes the King of England. Even though it is likely that that day will not come for quite a while, reports have emerged that the Duchess of Cambridge has "been prepping to be Queen Consort for some time."

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As reported by Cosmopolitan, the responsibilities that Kate, 37, has been taking on is in order to ease into the coming transition that includes taking on more royal duties. As she has become more and more familiarized with royal protocol, she has attended additional engagements and patronages.

A particularly interesting step is that she has been going to more events by herself without being by the side of Prince William. It is expected that in the coming years, the Duchess will make more overseas solo trips if the mother-of-three does not have any other children in that period of time.

Along the lines of working on her own, Kate has additionally put her own personal stamp on the Duchess role. This includes campaigning for children's mental health, supporting the arts, and much more. As Kate is a lover of photography, she was also given unique access to Balmoral by Queen Elizabeth II herself, which is certainly thought to be an indication of how the monarch views Kate.

It was also announced that the Queen handed the reigns of The Royal Photographic Society over to Kate earlier this year. As it "was founded in 1853 with the objective of promoting the art and science of photography," this is yet another step that would coincide with the Duchess highlighting her own personal interests.

According to Us Weekly, royal expert Rebecca Long revealed to the outlet in April that over the last few years, Kate has been "taking on new responsibilities little by little." This is said to be taking place so that it won't be a "shock" when the time comes for the Duchess to officially step into the role.

Furthermore, a source revealed that Queen Elizabeth II has "really taken Kate under her wing" and they will "often spend hours discussing royal life and the future of the monarchy," which one could imagine would be a very helpful mentor for the one-day Queen.