KATE'S POWER PLAY

The Princess of Wales is preparing to become queen and changing up her image to prove she's ready

- JAIME HARKIN

Princess Kate showed off her playful side during an appearance on BBC Radio 1’s Going Home on Oct. 10, when she revealed her favorite emojis (“the heart with the crying emoji [and] the hysterical laughing [one] when things have gone wrong,” she said) and jokingly teased husband Prince William about whose turn it was to cook dinner that night.

Royal watchers are seeing a lighter, more accessible Kate lately — and it’s not an accident. According to a source, the princess has started to be much more “strategic” about modernizing her image.

The 41-year-old mom of three (she and William, also 41, share Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and 5-year-old Prince Louis) has taken on an even more prominent role since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, and she wants to look and play the part perfectly. “Kate feels the spotlight more than ever since the queen’s passing,” says the source. “She’s in a new phase of her life, and she wants her image and actions to reflect that. Kate used to portray the perfect, feminine wife, mother and caregiver. Now Kate wants to be seen as a powerful and kind humanitarian leader.”

KATE 2.0