THE MAKING OF A Modern Royal Family

A new book about Princess Kate reveals how the future queen boldly redefined her role and is helping transform the monarchy - alongside husband Prince William - by ensuring her children always come first

- JAIME HARKIN, Christina Garibaldi & Shelby Stivale

Princess Kate made a triumphant return to Wimbledon on July 14, arriving to her seat in the Royal Box at Centre Court at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club to a standing ovation by the crowd. Accompanied by her 9-year-old daughter, Princess Charlotte, Kate — looking elegant as ever in a purple Safiyaa dress — was beaming as she and Charlotte waved to fans and shared a few sweet giggles during the match.

On the same day, 700 miles away at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Prince William and his son Prince George, 11, took in the UEFA Euro 2024 final between England and Spain. When England scored a goal toward the end of the game, the father-son duo — who wore matching navy blue suits and ties — jumped to their feet and embraced each other in a spirited hug.

Kate and William, both 42, have a great deal on their plates these days. The mom of three (she and William also share Prince Louis, 6) has been undergoing treatment for cancer since February, while William’s been busy fulfilling his loyal duties — and stepping in for his ailing father, King Charles III, 75, who’s also contending with a cancer diagnosis. But it’s clear that for the Prince and Princess of Wales, few things come before making their children happy.

Putting family first is a mandate William and Kate live by — and, according to the new book Catherine, the Princess of Wales (out Aug. 6) by royal expert Robert Jobson, it’s a directive Kate boldly laid out for the late Queen Elizabeth II back in 2015, when she was pregnant with Charlotte. “[Kate] established some fundamental life rules that she would stick to when she joined The Firm,” Jobson writes. “Her ‘terms’ were in fact presented to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles … She was clear from the outset that she would not be pigeon-holed into carrying out particular duties… her priority, she emphasized, would always be her family.”