WILLIAM & KATE Crowned King & Queen

As King Charles battles cancer, Kate Middleton and Prince William prepare to take the throne

Prince William kept calm and carried on. “I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you for the kind messages of support,” Prince William said in a speech at a charity dinner on Feb. 7, his first official day back at work following his wife, Kate Middleton’s abdominal surgery and his father, King Charles’ cancer diagnosis. He even ended his remarks at the fundraiser for London’s Air Ambulance Charity, where he shared a warm chat with Tom Cruise, with a little joke: “It’s fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather ‘medical’ focus, so I thought I’d come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all!”

That’s the kind of stiff upper lip that has defined his family for generations. “The queen would be so proud of how well he’s managed to compartmentalize everything and prioritize his duties to the crown,” a source says of William, who’s been juggling childcare and his wife’s convalescence with his own charity work and some of his dad’s royal obligations. “Charles is definitely impressed by how easily William has filled his shoes.” And while the king’s cancer was caught early and he’s vowed to return to public duty as soon as possible, the palace is bracing for a new bombshell. “Charles can’t help but consider stepping down instead, for the sake of the monarchy,” says the source — “meaning William and Kate will be crowned king and queen much sooner than anyone expected.”

LINE OF SUCCESSION