PREPARING TO BE Queen

With King Charles set to give up the throne, Princess Kate has big plans for her unprecedented new role

He gave an honest answer. During a visit to Southport, England, on Aug. 20, someone asked about King Charles’ health. “I’m not too bad,” the monarch shared, letting his subjects know he’s holding up after revealing earlier this year that he has cancer. But Charles also admitted he’s not at 100 percent. That much was made clear when the palace recently revealed Charles and Camilla’s plans to travel to Australia and Samoa in October for their first overseas tour since the diagnosis — acknowledging they won’t make it to New Zealand as originally hoped. “Because of his treatment schedule, doctors wouldn’t let him extend the trip,” says a royals source. “Charles is coming to terms with the fact that he can’t fulfill his duties as well as before, and he’s adjusted his diary accordingly.”

There are even bigger changes ahead. “No one expects his reign to last much longer, especially because his health could take a dramatic turn for the worse at any time,” the source says of Charles, who inherited his pragmatic approach to the job from his steadfast mother, Queen Elizabeth II. “Stepping down now would be the best decision for the monarchy.” Which means that Prince William and Kate Middleton are preparing to take over much earlier than anticipated. “Kate, in particular, has given a lot of thought to her new position and has consulted with her husband and multiple advisers about implementing her ideas,” adds the source of the first “commoner” to take the throne in nearly 1,000 years. “These discussions, along with years of experience as a royal, have been instrumental in the making of a modern queen.”