Does the future of the royal family lie in Kates hands?
Setting aside any personal resentment she may still be feeling about Harry and Meghans televised two-hour tell-all, the woman credited with never putting a foot wrong once again put her best foot forward in trying to carve a path to reconciliation between the royal brothers. Few would have blamed her for giving Harry the cold shoulder, yet she clearly resolved that the situation needed to be appeased rather than aggravated. While it may all have been choreographed, knowing the cameras would be trained on the trio, who once carried out so many public duties together, the move certainly helped to soften the negative narrative around the ongoing feud. Coming after Kate had put a loving arm around her emotional father-in-law, Prince Charles, 72, who was spotted wiping away tears with a white handkerchief as he emerged from the chapels Galilee Porch, it showed the conflict-avoiding Duchesss capacity to cool hot heads. It is not the first time the 39-year-old has drawn on her grounded Bucklebury upbringing to tame sometimes fiery royal emotions. William hit the roof when paparazzi photographs emerged of his wife sunbathing topless during a private holiday in the south of France in 2012, but Kate largely shrugged it off. Not one to pore over press coverage  unlike her 39-year-old husband, who is described as a bit of a news junkie  the Duchess remained relatively unruffled by the images, which not only showed her in a state of semi-nudity but also puffing on cigarettes. Insiders insist her reaction to Megxit has been similarly level-headed throughout  largely out of the huge affection she still feels towards Harry, who lovingly described her as the big sister I never had back in November 2010 when her engagement to William was announced. For years, she lent him a listening ear as he remained the third person in the Cambridges marriage as they carried out public duties in triplicate  Harry seemingly desperate to emulate the couples family life at Kensington Palace. Delighted he had finally found the one, royal aides have long been at pains to point out that she was welcoming when Meghan came onto the royal scene in 2016. Indeed, in their engagement interview in November 2017, the couple commented on how responsive the royals had been, with Harry saying: Catherine has been absolutely  and Meghan finishing his sentence: Shes been wonderful.  Harry said William had also provided fantastic support. Yet as the quartet who came to be known as the Fab Four began working more closely together, the stark difference between the introverted Cambridges and the extroverted Sussexes soon came racing to the surface. While William and Harry had grown used to overcoming their occasional personality clashes, the challenge was harder for Kate and Meghan  who, while a royal newcomer, came to the job with a public profile. According to one royal source, the intrinsically shy Duchess had little in common with the American former actor. A lot of the Duchesss growing confidence is down to William. She has never tried to be the front man and has always seen herself in a more supporting role, but hes tried to push her out of that at points. He knows what she can achieve. Parallels between unflappable Kate and the equally magnanimous Queen have long been drawn, but in the wake of the Sussexes bombshell announcement of January 2020, the similarities have appeared even more uncanny. Despite rising tensions, Kate was the one echoing HM throughout by reminding her nearest and dearest that Harry and Meghan remained much loved members of the family. Having grown up being so close to her own siblings, Pippa, 37, and James, 34, the Duchess remained keen to bury the hatchet even after the interview aired to a global audience of millions, seemingly for the sake of two-year-old Archies relationship with his cousins. Her natural instinct is to try to smooth things over, added the source. It recently emerged that the Cambridges can count their meetings with their nephew easily on one hand and that the cousins spent very little time together before the Sussexes moved to Montecito, near Los Angeles, in March last year. Yet, it seems an unexpected consequence of the family conflict has been to help William and Kate find equilibrium in their own marriage. What started out as an uneven match between a blue-blooded prince and his plus one has now blossomed into a two-peas-in-a-pod kind of partnership. As another royal insider put it: They are both very similar in the respect that they are intrinsically quite shy people who have sometimes struggled with life in the limelight. Loading A lot of the Duchesss growing confidence is down to him. She has never tried to be the front man and has always seen herself more in a supporting role, but hes tried to push her out of that at points. He knows what she can achieve. But it works both ways. When he is having a difficult time, she is the one who helps him through it. Despite having a slightly competitive edge to their relationship, the source added: They are very much on the same team. There is quite a lot of affectionate joshing between them but they have always had each others backs.  Katie Nicholl, author of The Making of a Royal Romance about William and Kates love affair, believes their roles may have even reversed over the last, difficult 18 months. Kates very much been the pillar of strength, guide and mentor for William that he has always been for her. Hes had a really hard time with his brother, hes really struggled with it and shes been a rock. As Kate approaches her milestone birthday, with William following suit six months later, the Cambridges have never been under more pressure to perform as they prepare to step up as the future Prince and Princess of Wales once Charles takes the throne. With the Sussexes now doing their own thing in Los Angeles, it is largely down to William and Kate to ensure the House of Windsor retains its popularity once the Queen is no longer on the throne. The Duchess of Cambridge alongside Prince William, President of the Football Association at Prince George at the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Round of 16 match between England and Germany at Wembley Stadium on June 29. Credit:Getty Images As the wife and mother of a future king, the Duchesss role in the monarchy has never been more pivotal. Her skilful handling of various royal crises in recent months suggests that Kate is fast emerging as the jewel in the crown.