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The Diplomatic Corps Reception is arguably the most highly anticipated annual event on the royal calendar. The white-tie affair is one of the few times during the year the ladies in the family don the spectacular royal jewels — and Queen Camilla sparkled in the late Queen Elizabeth II’s rarely seen Aquamarine Ribbon Tiara as she hosted alongside King Charles and Prince William at Buckingham Palace on November 19. But it was the only priceless piece on display: Princess Kate Middleton skipped the event. “She usually goes, but decided to sit this one out as she’s just getting back to royal duties,” a source exclusively tells In Touch, noting that Kate actually spent that morning meeting with the staff of her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood charity. “It’s Kate’s passion project, and she considers it much more important than a fancy dinner. Plus, Camilla got a chance to shine without being upstaged.”
It may be one of her last. “The whispers that Charles is planning to step down are growing louder,” says the source, noting that the past few months have been “particularly rough.” Not only was the king heckled by an anti-monarchist in Australia, but the 76-year-old is battling pancreatic cancer, as In Touch first reported. Meanwhile, Camilla can’t shake a respiratory illness that had her bowing out of another event days after the reception. “Their work is exhausting,” says the source. “Charles waited so long to become king, but at this point, no one could blame him for giving up the throne so he can live the last months of his life in peace. Insiders expect a historic announcement to be made around Christmastime. So William and Kate will be king and queen much sooner than anyone imagined.”
BIG PLANS
Not long after Kate’s annual Christmas concert at Westminster Abbey in London on December 6, the royals are expected to travel to Sandringham Estate in Norfolk for winter break, per tradition. “The holidays would be a good time to begin the transition to William’s reign, because there are usually a few weeks of downtime in the schedule,” says the source. “But it will also give everyone time for private family moments and reflection.”
Kate and William are going to need it. The couple, both 42, have been preparing for this for years — and in the prince’s case, his whole life — “but there are still a lot of practical decisions to be made,” says the source, “starting with the coronation. That’s a huge event that takes months to plan.”
The sacred ceremony is steeped in 1,000 years of tradition. “There are some elements that simply can’t be changed,” says the source. Like the fact that Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, “will have to be invited,” says the source. “Regardless of the estrangement, it would look really bad if the new king’s brother wasn’t by his side during this momentous occasion. Both Harry and Meghan will most certainly attend.”
SHAKING THINGS UP
The rest of the coronation will likely be dramatically scaled down from Charles’ celebration last year, which was recently revealed to have cost a whopping $91 million. “The public wasn’t happy to hear that, and it definitely won’t go over well if the royals spend as much again just a few years later,” says the source, adding that wouldn’t be the plan anyway.
As Kate showed with her choice to work on the day of the reception, “she and William want to focus on truly helping people through their charitable endeavors and dial down all the pomp and circumstance.” That extends to all of their work. Factory tours and ribbon-cutting, which the famously hardworking Princess Anne has always called the family’s “bread and butter,” will probably be replaced by “meetings with experts and activists who are capable of effecting real change in issues that William and Kate care about, like the environment, mental health, homelessness and childhood development,” says the source. “They both understand that they will have to adapt and evolve to keep the monarchy relevant.”
And they won’t be beholden to protocol, says the source. “The Firm’s strict policies and practices are part of what drove Harry and Meghan away, and truthfully Kate and William have found them stifling as well. So they plan to break all the old royal rules.” Already, they’ve established a much more relaxed social media presence and have even started taking selfies. “They’ve also started setting their own schedules. Both Kate and William have been slammed in the past for not working enough, but they won’t let anyone pressure them into spending less time with their children,” the source adds of Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6. “The kids have always come first, and that won’t change just because Kate and William are sitting on the throne.”
THE WILD CARD
But sources say there’s one person who isn’t ready to give up her seat just yet: Camilla, 77. “She’ll most likely resist, since she’s just settling into being queen after years of waiting and being scorned by the public,” says the source. “She may even refuse to give up the perks, like borrowing the royal jewels or using the palace for meetings and receptions. But that would be the least of William’s worries. He’d probably be very generous with her just to keep the peace.”
That’s just part of the job. “It’s William’s duty to bring stability and pride to his country,” says the source. “And he and Kate are excited to finally make a difference and bring the royal family into the future. It’s their time — and they’re more than ready to rule.”
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