How Princess Catherine's Life Will Change When She Becomes Queen

With Queen Elizabeth II's recent passing, royal fans are reminded that the ranks within the royal family will only continue to change with time. Likewise, now that the former Prince of Wales is the King of the United Kingdom, everyone can't help but wonder what else will be different when his son Prince William and his daughter-in-law, Kate Middleton, become the royal rulers. Likewise, when it comes to a monarch and their partner, things are anything but simple. For instance, the title of a royal partner depends on whether the UK's ruler is a king or queen. But of course, if a ruler is a king, their partner becomes the Queen Consort.

Nevertheless, that is good news for Middleton because when it becomes Prince William's time to reign, Princess Catherine will become queen (or, more specifically, gain the title of Queen Consort). Likewise, with her husband's rise in status, Middleton will be expected to take on an even more hefty workload than she already has. But with more responsibility will also come some seriously awesome benefits for the princess. For example, once her status is elevated to queen, Princess Catherine will no longer have to curtsy to anyone except her husband. That's because, as the Queen Consort, she will outrank everyone except Prince William. So with plenty of awesome perks and some more challenging tasks, there's no doubt that Princess Catherine's life will change dramatically when she officially becomes Queen Consort.

As noted by Us Weekly, the tragic passing of the beloved Queen Elizabeth II has already marked some significant changes for Kate Middleton, one of which is her royal title. Previously, Princess Catherine was known as the Duchess of Cambridge, but with the queen's death, her title has been elevated to the Princess of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge. Likewise, her husband, Prince William, is now known as the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge. This rank is higher because the previous Prince and Princess of Wales (Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles) are now King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort.

Middleton's current title also reminds her and her husband, Prince William, are closer to ascending the throne. But of course, as Town & Country pointed out, the royal couple's rise to the throne is still quite a ways off. Prince William is next in line to become the UK's ruler, but his father's reign has only just begun. Still, that hasn't stopped royal fans from speculating about the future of the current Prince and Princess of Wales. Of course, as the wife of the man who will one day become king, Middleton's title will become the Queen Consort. But according to Marlene Koenig, expert and author of the blog Royal Musings, most people will recognize her by the title Queen Catherine.

While Princess Catherine's job is already pretty impressive, her royal duties will only increase when her husband, Prince William, becomes the King of the United Kingdom. According to the royal family's official website, Kate Middleton's current position as the Princess of Wales involves a serious time commitment. "Her Royal Highness devotes her time to supporting several charitable causes and organizations, several of which are centered around providing children with the best possible start in life," the page declares. Likewise, over the years, Middleton's charity work has already been expanding. For example, in 2020, Princess Catherine released a survey to start conversations about early childhood.

Then in 2021, she started The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood (announced via Instagram). "Let's embrace this golden opportunity to create a happier, more mentally healthy, and more nurturing society," she wrote. Still, these are far from the only initiatives in which the princess is involved. Middleton has also focused on mental health awareness, the importance of outdoor activities for little ones, and visual arts. But while this workload might seem more than enough for the average person, once Princess Catherine becomes the Queen Consort, her royal duties will only continue to increase. Royal expert Marlene Koenig told Insider, "Catherine's role will certainly change as she will be the consort of the sovereign." The expert added, "She will be the first lady of the land. In terms of precedence."

When it comes to traditions, the royal family is pretty strict regarding what is and isn't allowed. Likewise, some royal etiquette, like curtsying, can get rather complicated. Still, according to Cosmo, while there technically aren't official rules demanding that people bow or curtsy when meeting royalty, the royal family still follows certain customs. For example, kids in the royal family start bowing/curtsying when they're just five years old. But the rules are a bit murkier when it comes to bowing and curtsying toward one another. While some outlets claim that royals don't give this formal greeting to one another, plenty of other reports state that they do. So how will this rule affect Kate Middleton? 

In her current position, Princess Catherine is still required to curtsy to "blood princesses" (aka those born into the royal family). However, if her husband is in the room, Prince William's presence outranks blood royals, and Middleton does not have to curtsy. Still, she is expected to give this formal greeting when with someone who outranks her. But, as noted by Express, once Prince William becomes King, Princess Catherine's status will also be elevated. That means that the King will only outrank Middleton, and as such, he will become the only person Princess Catherine has to bow to. Likewise, once Middleton becomes Queen Consort, many members who previously outranked the Princess of Wales will have to curtsy to her.

While being a member of the royal family has plenty of perks, it also has its downsides as well. Constantly being in the public eye, it isn't entirely a surprise that there have been times when the media has portrayed members of royalty in an unflattering light. However, Insider reported that for Kate Middleton, one specific publication became too much to bear. According to the write-up, the British magazine Tatler released a feature making various claims about Middleton from alleged sources. These allegations stated that the princess was upset about taking on additional royal duties. But, instead of ignoring the declarations, Middleton decided to take action against them.

As a result of what her representatives called repeated lies and fake representations, the magazine was forced to remove multiple parts of its story. So how does this choice affect Middleton's future as queen? Well, according to Insider, the family's oldest tradition, known as "never complain, never explain," directly goes against Middleton's decision to call out Tatler. However, once she becomes Queen Consort, Princess Catherine could very well decide to adopt this method. This mantra (which is pretty self-explanatory) was first launched in 1936 by the Queen Mother and was similarly followed by Queen Elizabeth II throughout her reign. So there's a good chance that when Middleton finally holds the title of Queen Consort, she will also adopt this tradition. But of course, only time will tell what Princess Catherine will choose.

When it comes to royal benefits, Kings and Queens get one specific perk that may seem somewhat unusual to others; waking up to the sound of bagpipes every morning. As noted by Hello!, the Piper to the Sovereign is a person within the royal household with one mission, waking up the ruler of the UK by playing bagpipes. This means that every day at 9 am, the Piper has to play music under the monarch's window for precisely 15 minutes when the monarch is staying at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Balmoral, or Holyroodhouse. Assuming that Princess Catherine will be located close to her husband, Prince William, she will likely be within hearing distance of this unique royal alarm clock.

Furthermore, it's unlikely that this tradition will change, considering the Piper to the Sovereign is a job that has been around since 1843 (outside of a four-year gap during World War II). Queen Victoria created the role after she'd taken a liking to hearing bagpipes in the Highlands. The position isn't handed out to just anyone; since its conception, there have only been 15 individuals that have held the title of Piper to the Sovereign. While it might not sound like the most challenging job, former Piper to the Sovereign, Gordon Webster, noted that a piper would need to know a decent number of tunes to play to keep the monarch from getting bored by the same old song.

As noted by Vanity Fair, Princess Catherine has long been considered a fashion influencer. According to Bethan Holt, the fashion and features director at The Telegraph, Kate Middleton's distinctive style is focused on balance, blending elements of formal and casual, glam and down-to-earth, as well as youthful and professional. Holt added that Middleton's trusted team of assistants had been a big help in achieving the Princess of Wales's well-recognized look. Additionally, it's noted that unlike some members of royalty, Middleton looks are almost always created from off-the-rack pieces from high-end brands instead of being mostly custom designs. Holt said that this style choice only furthers her relatably.

"The public mood now is much less towards wanting royals that are very distant in their palaces. People want to be able to relate, and I think the royals realize that clothing is a way that they can do it." Still, the expert said that doesn't mean that Princess Catherine's style won't change as she gets older or when she becomes Queen Consort. Holt stated that Middleton has already begun changing some of her everyday looks. "She's adding interesting new things that signal she's getting a bit older, a bit more sophisticated, and a bit more senior," said Holt. The fashion expert also noted that Princess Catherine's style when she becomes Queen Consort would likely be determined by when Prince William ascends to the throne.

As noted by the royal family's official website, the coronation ceremony for the ruler of the United Kingdom is considered a festive and celebratory occasion that has more or less followed the same formula for more than a thousand years. For the last 900 years, the ceremony has occurred at Westminster Abbey in London, and since 1066, the service has been performed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. However, when it comes to the coronation ceremony, the rules for a queen or king's partner couldn't be more different. For example, for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953, there was no similar event for the late Prince Philip. However, according to the royal family, the late prince's lack of recognition wasn't considered unusual.

That's because if the new sovereign is a queen, her partner doesn't receive a crown or a ceremony. However, when it comes to having a king as the ruler, his partner will receive a royal acknowledgment. The outlet states, "unless decided otherwise, a Queen consort is crowned with the King in a similar but simpler ceremony." That means that when Prince William becomes the King, Kate Middleton will also get her own special (but slightly less lavish) ceremony to commemorate her new rank and role in the royal family. Additionally, Town & Country noted that though husbands of queens cannot be kings, the wife of a king can be recognized as a queen. So Middleton's future title will be official. 

When it comes to residences, the rules for the royal family are a bit more complicated than they are for the average person. As noted by Cosmo, the ruler of the United Kingdom typically lives at Buckingham Palace. Per tradition, with Queen Elizabeth II's passing, King Charles III and his wife, Camilla, the Queen Consort, are expected to leave their home at Clarence House to relocate. As stated by the royal family's official website, "Buckingham Palace has served as the official London residence of the UK's sovereigns since 1837 and today is the administrative headquarters of the Monarch." That means it's precisely the right place to be if you're the King or Queen of the United Kingdom.

Likewise, this also implies that when it comes time for Prince William to become the UK's monarch, he and his wife, Princess Catherine, will be expected to leave their current residence and instead go live at Buckingham Palace. Still, though all the moving around sounds like an enormous hassle, it would seem that the Prince and Princess of Wales will have plenty of practice with hasty relocating. According to Cosmo (via the Daily Mail), Queen Elizabeth II's death not only led to King Charles and Queen Camilla's moving but also affected Kate Middleton and Prince William's living situation as well. Though the pair has recently moved from Anmer Hall to Adelaide Cottage, they will likely be expected to relocate once more to Windsor Castle.

As noted by E! Online, Princess Catherine and her husband, Prince William, have new roles in the royal family following Queen Elizabeth II's tragic passing. Still, according to royal expert Jonathan Sacerdoti, all the changes and more royal responsibilities won't be anything that Kate Middleton can't handle. "She's always carried out her role with the family actually very well," he stated. Sacerdoti then said, "She's somebody that is immensely popular with the public. They absolutely love her." The write-up additionally declared that with King Charles III taking the throne in his 70s, it's likely that the Prince and Princess of Wales will ascend to the throne themselves sooner rather than later.

Likewise, from her current reception, Middleton won't have to do much to win over the public once she is queen. According to the royal expert, the princess knows how to appeal to the masses and be genuine and relatable. Similarly, Vanity Fair reported that Middleton has blossomed over the years when it comes to confidence. From her charity work to her friendly social media videos and everything else in between, it's clear that Princess Catherine is prepping herself to become a seriously popular future queen. Says royal historian and author Sara Gristwood, "There is a repositioning going on within the monarchy, and I think this is one of the most important stages in Kate's life as a royal. She is doing things independently and voicing new ideas. This is Kate's moment."

As noted by Yahoo!, Kate Middleton was no pauper before she joined the royal family. While Princess Catherine's net worth doesn't compare to the royal family's jaw-dropping billions, her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, are still quite the impressive self-made millionaires. Their supply company Party Pieces is valued at around £30 million (or $33,934,650.00). Additionally, Celebrity Net Worth stated that Middleton also benefits from generational wealth through trust funds set up by Middletons more than a century ago. Likewise, before she married Prince William, Princess Catherine and her sister, Pippa, reportedly shared an apartment purchased for them by their parents that was valued at more than $1 million.

Still, while that's all very remarkable, it doesn't compare to the royal family's estimated $28 billion fortune. But after marrying into the royal family, Middleton is now also a benefactor of this money and will likely see her net worth increase even more in the years to come. This is because as her husband moves up in the line of succession, Prince William and Middleton reap the benefits of him being a future ruler. For example, according to StyleCaster, the majority of Middleton and Prince William's income now comes from the Dutchy of Cornwall, which is a financial support system for the heir to the throne. This rise in status happened after Queen Elizabeth's passing, leading to the couple becoming the new Prince and Princess of Wales.