Kate Middleton: Duchess was told to do this when she was first dating Prince William

Kate Middleton and Prince William first met in 2001 while studying at St Andrews University. They began dating in 2003 before making their relationship official. The pair broke up in 2007 before subsequently rekindling the romance and later marrying. In the early days of their romance, Prince William was concerned that Kate did not face the same treatment as his mother Princess Diana had when it came to the paparazzi. According to a royal expert, William insisted that Kate did one thing.

Katie Nicholl wrote in her book Kate: The Future Queen that the now-mother-of-three was told to smile at photographers.

“William was aware of the situation and anxious about it,” Nicholl said.

“He had seen firsthand how his mother had been harassed by the paparazzi and was determined that Kate not be subjected to the same treatment.”

A senior aide told Nicholl: “We had been introduced to Kate early on, and we were instructed from the outset to give her every support possible.

“She was obviously the subject of a lot of press interest and intrusion from the paparazzi.

“William said we had a duty of care to her and her family and so we advised her on how to deal with the cameras.

“We told her to smile at the photographers so that there would be a better picture.

“She was given advice on how to manage the media, and we were there to support her if there was a crisis.”

Now Kate is married to the future King of England she will likely be Queen consort when William takes to the throne.

So how is she preparing for the role? Earlier this year Queen Elizabeth handed over one of her patronages to her granddaughter-in-law. 

The Queen passed on the patronage of the Royal Photographic Society to Kate, a role she held for 67 years.

Royal expert Rebecca Long told Us Weekly: “Kate’s been taking on new responsibilities little by little over the last few years, so it won’t be a shock when the time comes.

“William and Kate are the favourite royals to take the crown in many generations, so the people of the UK are very excited about it.”

Kate also supports the Queen at high profile events such as the Garden Party at Buckingham Palace.

Should Prince Charles become King, it may be that his Prince of Wales status is given to his son, Prince William – but it’s not a title that’s automatically acquired.

It’s not known as to whether Kate would choose to take on the title of Princess of Wales if Prince William does become the Prince of Wales.