Princess Kate: Strength, Calm & Calling the Shots

SHE'S READY TO RULE! AMID THE KING AND HIS HEIR'S STRUGGLES, THE FUTURE QUEEN CONSORT IS QUIETLY USING HER FORMIDABLE INSTINCTS TO PROTECT THE INSTITUTION - AND THE ROYAL FAMILY - FROM ITSELF.

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HEAVY BURDEN On top of his feud with brother Harry, William (in a Mental Health Awareness Week kickoff video with Kate on May 12) "has taken on more duties as his father undergoes treatment," says a source.

HER appearance was unexpected — and beautifully received. Stepping out in an impeccably tailored olive-green Victoria Beckham pantsuit and white silk blouse for her first solo official outing this spring, Princess Kate stunned a London fashion crowd on May 13 as she presented the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design to 29-year-old Patrick McDowell at an event organized by the British Fashion Council. As the Princess of Wales examined the clothes on display, Patrick told The New York Times, a sleeveless piece called the “Wales jacket” caught her eye. “She said, ‘Why would you call it that?’ with a big smile,” the winning designer shared, marveling, “What a moment, to be sharing jokes with our future queen.”

FEARS FOR THE KING "Camilla can't bear to talk about Charles' illness. It's too upsetting," says a source, adding that the queen consort worries the king is "doing too much and needs to step back."

NEXT-GEN GUIDE Preparing George, Louis and Charlotte — who marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day at Buckingham Palace May 5 — for the duties that lie ahead “is a big part of Kate’s parenting,” says a source.

HARRY DRAMA "If anything was to happen to me, my wife or my father's grandchildren," Harry warned May 2, "look where the responsibility lies."