The Prince and Princess of Wales have returned to the forefront this year. And as Princess Kate resumes her duties following her cancer recovery, the couple's royal status has seemingly been elevated.
Now considered leaders within the fold, Prince William and Princess Kate have been increasing their public-facing duties - so too have their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
And with Prince William and Princess Kate next in line to the throne, the future King and Queen have reportedly been preparing for their future reign behind closed doors.
"There are some major shifts coming behind the scenes," an inside source recently explained to PEOPLE. "[The Prince and Princess are] building a trusted team of top advisers," the source continued. "They are really finessing what works and what doesn't."
Royal experts have opened up previously about the Prince and Princess of Wales' future roles, with Ingrid Seward weighing in on the "looming responsibility" to HELLO! Magazine.
"Kate knows there is a looming, massive responsibility coming, but she can't do anything about that, so she just needs to make sure that the family she's bringing up are able to deal with it," Seward explained.
"I think the illness has made her keen to prioritise her family even more, because they are the future. Obviously, she wants to support her husband and the monarchy, but she's going to make sure that she does it in such a way that it doesn't take her away from the family too much."
"Although the King is carrying out his duties with typical determination, he has had to accept limitations during his cancer treatment," a source added to PEOPLE last year. "As a result William has been taking on more responsibilities, and he and Kate have been preparing for their future roles sooner than they would have expected.”
The source continued: "There’s a sense of calm before the storm. They are next in line for the biggest job of their lives, and of course, Kate’s health has taken priority, but it’s also allowed everyone to take a step back and figure out what’s important right now."
We will continue to update this story.
