London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 09, 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
Tech Pulse: The Future of AI and Screen Culture
Rare Early Copy of US Declaration of Independence Found in British Archive
Cornish Language Revival Gains Momentum Through Schools and Community Programs
UK Authorities Face Criticism Over Prisoner Early Release Safeguards
Clacton By-Election Set After Nigel Farage Resigns Seat to Trigger Contest
Government Agencies Review Long-Term Fiscal Risks from Aging Population and Low Productivity
UK Heatwaves Expose Pressure on Public Transport and Housing Infrastructure
UK Government Prepares Welfare Review Amid Debate Over Personal Independence Payment Reform
UK Government Expands Rapid Endometriosis Testing Across NHS Services
Vistry Group Issues Profit Warning as UK Housing Market Faces Continued Pressure
Virgin Media Receives Record Twenty-Eight Million Pound Fine Over Contract Cancellation Failures
Office for Budget Responsibility Warns UK Public Finances Face Long-Term Pressure
UK Watchdog Warns Regional Income Gap Has Barely Narrowed in Three Decades
IMF Raises United Kingdom Growth Forecast as Inflation and Energy Pressures Ease
UK Government Launches Regulatory Reform Bill to Speed Up Commercialization of Innovation
Prince Harry Loses Privacy Lawsuit Against Daily Mail Publisher After High Court Rejects Claims
Federal Financial Framework Shifts as Treasury Launches Universal Savings Program for Minors
Jet2 Reports Strong Summer Travel Demand as Bookings Rise Seven Percent
Prince Harry Loses High Court Privacy Case Against Daily Mail Publisher
British Universities Warn Against Potential European Union Tuition Fee Changes
Heal Fertility Clinic Investigated After Embryo Biopsy Sample Mix-Up
Resolution Foundation Warns Regional Income Divide Has Barely Improved Since 1997
British Markets Remain Cautious as Middle East Tensions Rise and Government Transition Nears
Andy Burnham Poised to Become United Kingdom Prime Minister in Expected Political Transition
Nigel Farage Resigns as Member of Parliament Ahead of By-Election Amid Funding Investigation
Trump Declares Iran Ceasefire Over After Renewed Attacks on United States Bases
French Court Allows Le Pen to Run for Presidency, but with an Electronic Tag: "I Will Appeal, and I Will Run"
$1.4 Trillion: The Lawsuit That Could Crush Meta
Europe's Growing Struggle with Extreme Heat and Air Conditioning
UK Daily Briefing: Legal Developments and Social Issues
Political Turmoil and Rising Costs
Anthropic Reengineers Agentic Architecture to Shift Autonomous Workplace Automation to the Cloud
Logic Flaw in Windows 11 Permission Architecture Silently Consumes Hundreds of Gigabytes of Local Storage
Apple Advances Late-Stage Operating Systems with Fourth Beta Deployments
Global Crisis Alert: Escalating Middle East Tensions and UK Political Upheaval
UK Parliament Pushes for Greater Domestic Control Over Critical Technologies
UK Parliament Warns Trade Fair and Exhibition Industry Is Losing Global Competitiveness
Police Launch Murder Investigation After Mother and Two Children Found Dead Near Bedford
British Chambers of Commerce Survey Shows Business Confidence Falls to Post-Pandemic Low
UK Parliament Report Warns Britain Risks Falling Behind in Artificial Intelligence Sovereignty
Office for Budget Responsibility Warns United Kingdom Faces Long-Term Fiscal Pressures
Nigel Farage Resigns as Member of Parliament Amid Financial Scrutiny and Triggers By-Election
Deep Purple Has Released Its Best Album in Decades
UK MPs Criticise Student Loan System as Potentially Mis-Sold to Millions of Borrowers
Policy Groups Propose Bank of England-Backed Solar Loan Scheme for Millions of Homes
UK Health Agency Issues Amber Heat Alerts Across Six Regions as Temperatures Rise
Royal Air Force F-35 Jets Conduct First High North Air Policing Missions From Aircraft Carrier
Major UK Companies Join Government Cybersecurity Pledge Amid Rising Digital Threats
UK Sanctions Russian Operatives Linked to Chemical Weapons Programmes and Poisoning Cases
UK Government Expands Free Breakfast Clubs and Limits School Uniform Costs
×