The Queen is a big fan of Kate Middleton and shares a 'keep calm and carry on attitude with her', a source has claimed.
The Duchess of Cambridge won praise after it is claimed the pair bonded over the they balance family life and being a royal.
While Kate and the monarch don't have an intimate relationship, the two royal ladies hold each other in high regard, it is said.
“The Queen is a fan,” a source told Vanity Fair.
“Kate is unflappable. Her mantra is very like the Queen’s keep calm and carry on approach in life, and she has the added benefit of making the Royal Family seem almost normal and in touch.”
At the end of last year The Queen made a very public gesture of friendship towards Kate.
The monarch handed her granddaughter in law the Royal Family Order - the highest honour a female member of the family can receive.
According to Claudia Joseph, who has written a book about Kate's life, the mum-of-three is having a bumper year.
She said: "It feels very much like this has been Kate’s year, she looks happy, in control and there’s a new confidence about her.”
That new confidence was put to good use earlier this week when The Duchess of Cambridge popped to the pub with a group of other mums from Prince George and Princess Charlotte 's school.
Crafty Kate managed to go undetected thanks to a secret door set up for Harry.
Kate attended Thomas's Battersea's 'meet and greet' drinks party for parents of children who joined the school in September, including little Charlotte.
The event was held at the Hollywood Arms in Chelsea, which used to be a popular hangout for London socialites.
Kate's brother-in-law Prince Harry used to be a regular there, so much so that the former owners created a secret entrance for him so he could come and go without being photographed, reports the Mail on Sunday .
Joseph has argued it is the royal's down to Earth attitude and willingness to get out and about - including to the supermarket to get Halloween costumes for her kids last month - that makes her such a hit with the public and her grandmother-in-law.
