A Duchess In Distress

With the palace in crisis, insiders tells Us Kate Middleton feels the weight of the world on her shoulders

- Jaime Harkin

It was a somber event on a dreary day, but as Kate Middleton and Prince William made their way into a ceremony honoring U.K. Holocaust Memorial Day in Westminster on Jan. 27, the mom of three appeared to be in good spirits. Dressed in a fitted gray Catherine Walker coat, black tights, and black pumps, Kate even shared a quick laugh with William when she got hit with some raindrops under his wobbly umbrella. Inside, she was gracious and kind as she met survivors and honorees, and she was photographed smiling as she and William chatted with the fellow attendees.

But behind those obligatory smiles, the unflappable 38-year-old is secretly suffering. As royal watchers focus their attention on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s unceremonious ditching of the monarchy for a life of privacy across the pond, sources are finally revealing Kate’s side of the story to Us. “Kate’s in a panic and has been having bouts of anxiety,” reveals an insider. “She barely has time to rest, and when she does try to sleep, her mind is constantly racing.”

With Harry and Meghan starting their new life with 8-month-old Archie in Canada, the pressure on Kate and William, 37, to fulfill their royal responsibilities has doubled. Kate — who’s mom to Prince George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 4, and 20-month-old Prince Louis — sometimes works 18 hours a day. “She’s already stretched pretty thin,” says the insider, “and now she’s really worried about how she'll juggle the extra workload on top of her family life.”

HIDING HER PAIN