London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Aug 11, 2026

7 fascinating things that will happen after Kate Middleton becomes queen

7 fascinating things that will happen after Kate Middleton becomes queen

Kate and William are two of the most beloved royals, blending their royal duties with their 'normalness' perfectly.

You feel you could actually be friends with them, that if they came over for a dinner party they would be brilliant guests.

But the Duke and Duchess will one day not be quite so relatable - when they're king and queen.

Things will change quite considerably when this day comes - here are seven of the things that happen after Kate Middleton becomes queen.

1. She won't actually be queen


Just like Prince Philip isn't king, Kate won't technically be queen - but as she's female she also won't be princess.

King is a higher rank than queen, which is why Philip is just a prince, so while Kate will be Queen Catherine, she'll technically be queen consort as she has no royal blood.

Confused? This article will explain it to you thoroughly.

2. She'll be crowned alongside her husband


This didn't happen for poor old Philip.

As a female consort Kate will be crowned at the same time, although in a smaller ceremony, than William.

According to the royal family’s official website: “Unless decided otherwise, a Queen consort is crowned with the King, in a similar but simpler ceremony.

“If the new Sovereign is a Queen, her consort is not crowned or anointed at the coronation ceremony. After the present Queen was crowned The Duke of Edinburgh was the first, after the archbishops and bishops, to pay homage to her.”


3. She'll have a lot more work to do


She seems busy now, but her workload will be even heavier once she becomes queen.

She's already patron of a lot of charities, but as Queen Catherine she'll inherit a lot more, and she'll have to go on more royal tours alongside her husband.

Put it this way - Kate currently patron of 21 organisations, while Prince Philip is Patron, President or a member of over 750.

4. Her 'salary' will soar


Currently the Duchess gets about £2.3 million a year from Kensington Palace to cover expenses, but as the queen this 'salary' will get much bigger in line with the huge promotion.

The Queen currently has about £47 million yearly, so Kate's income will likely be around this mark too.

5. She'll own the tails of whales and dolphins


This is a weird one.

We all know the strange law that states the monarch owns all the whales, dolphins and sturgeons in the British seas - what you might not know is the consort owns their tails.

It's thought this strange rule came about when King Edward II decided to give the tails to his wife so she could use them to make whale bone corsets.

6. She'll move house


At the moment the Cambridge family live in Kensington Palace, but all that will change once they become king and queen.

As the monarch, William and his family will all move to Buckingham Palace as it is the official residence of British monarchs.

They will also count Windsor and Holyrood Palace as their homes - however palaces like Sandringham and Balmoral are the Queen's private property and therefore she can leave them to whoever she likes.

7. She'll never have to curtsy again


Protocol dictates that you curtsy to anyone higher in rank to you, so Kate currently curtsies to the Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall.

When she's queen she'll be top of the chain, only outranked by her husband, so she won't need to curtsy again - and more people will need to do so to her.

However, she will need to in front of her husband.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Manufacturing Output Records Fourth Straight Month of Growth
UK Condemns Russian Torture of Ukrainian Prisoners and Recruitment of Foreign Nationals
Long-Lost Royal Navy Warship HMS Tiger Found in English Channel After 118 Years
Northern Ireland Finance Minister Seeks Urgent Treasury Talks Over Regional Budget Pressures
UK Government Targets Subscription Traps and Misleading Discounts in New Consumer Rules
Alleged Cartel Boss Daniel Kinahan Extradited From Dubai to Face Criminal Charges
AI Chatbots Challenge Traditional News Consumption and Raise Job Concerns
Andy Burnham Government Promises Crackdown on Exploitative Business Practices
UK University Funding Model Faces Growing Pressure From Unsustainable Student Debt
Government Urged to Subsidise Energy Bills for Vulnerable UK Households
UK Military Spending Plans Threaten to Deepen Infrastructure Funding Gap
Israeli Government Rejects US Peace Framework for Gaza
New Labour Government Signals Closer Economic and Strategic Ties With European Union
Amber Heat-Health Alerts Issued Across England as Temperatures Threaten 36 Degrees
UK Economy Expected to Grow Despite Energy and Supply Chain Shock From Iran Conflict
Foreign Social Media Accounts Drove Disinformation During Belfast and Southampton Riots
Record Number of Migrants Cross English Channel in Single Vessel as Smugglers Deploy Mega-Dinghies
Russia’s A7 Builds a State-Linked Payments Network Beyond Western Sanctions
Reports of Mark Zuckerberg-Linked Superyacht Declining Rescue Assistance Draw Maritime Scrutiny
Preserving Three Banksy Artworks in London Has Cost Taxpayers Nearly £150,000
Four Ugandan Athletes Disappear From Delegation After UK Sporting Events
French Authorities Report Channel Interventions as Cross-Border Migration Dispute Continues
Home Office Admits Error in Settled Status Case Involving Long-Term Italian Resident
Unite Calls for Independent Review of UK Budget Watchdog's Fiscal Forecasting Rules
Thinktank Calls for £175 Annual Energy Bill Cut for Low-Income Households
Foreign-Linked Social Media Accounts Amplified Recent Unrest in Belfast and Southampton, Analysis Finds
London Mayor Sadiq Khan Orders Westminster to Drop Proposed Soho and West End Hospitality Ban
Royal Navy Deployments to Monitor Russian Activity in UK Waters Rise 25 Percent
UK Economy Expected to Grow 0.4 Percent in Second Quarter Despite Geopolitical Pressures
Andy Burnham Launches Cost-of-Living Measures Targeting Subscription Traps and Misleading Discounts
Hyper-Realistic Reborn Dolls Draw Collectors Seeking Comfort and Craft
Gen Z Cuts Back on Dating as a Night Out Nears $200
Patients Turn to Artificial Intelligence for Therapy as Psychiatrists Warn of Privacy and Clinical Risks
Couples Embrace ‘Sleep Divorce’ to Protect Rest and Reduce Tension
Meta Ordered to Pay $567 Million and Change Facebook and Instagram Safeguards for Children
Up to only 10 Months in Prison for Swedish Officer’s Murderer Sparks Anger
Success: Nvidia Turned Gaming Chips Into the Engine of the AI Boom
Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi’s Father and Longtime Agent, Dies at 68
AI’s Next Bottleneck Is Power, Not Just Nvidia Chips
Advertising trick: Pepsi’s Harrier Jet Commercial Led to a $700,000 Court Fight
Meta Raises AI Spending Target to as Much as $145bn Despite Pressure Over Returns
Danube Drought Exposes Nazi Wrecks and Pushes Central Europe’s Power System to the Brink
Joe Biden’s Cancer Has Spread Beyond His Bones, Hunter Biden Says
Air Traffic Control Outage Grounded Flights Across the Midwest
Why 2027 Could Be a Strong Year for Stocks—and Why the Forecast Is Fragile
Why Markets May Look Quiet in August After Big Tech Earnings
Partial Solar Eclipse Expected to Draw Interest Across Southwestern UK
UK Graduate Job Postings Fall 7% as Entry-Level Opportunities Remain Scarce
UK Private Sector Returns to Growth as July Activity Reaches Highest Level Since April
UK Summer Drought and Wildfires Raise Pressure for Stronger Environmental Measures
×