The 's "expertly-manoeuvred rise" was hailed by a royal expert who described her as "steel in a velvet glove" just like another key royal was.
Princess Kate may now be but her assured figure is not the same as the one sported by the "once quiet and reserved" Kate Middleton back in the early days of her relationship with Prince William.
The future Queen is now viewed as a leading figure when it comes to promoting her own causes involving early years development and mental health.
Kate's royal journey has significantly evolved from being seen as William's shadow to being considered a "royal matriarch for the modern age".
And now the princess and her way of using her "soft power" was compared to that of William's great-grandmother, the late Queen Mother.
Royal expert Jennie Bond told : "People always used to describe the Queen Mother as 'steel in a velvet glove'.
"She was always charming, gentle and much admired. But, she was also the strength behind her husband, George Vl, and at the Palace, her opinion counted.
"I think Kate has some of those same qualities."
The expert added that the Princess of Wales had learned the "craft of being royal" over a number of years and that has "earned her place" as a senior member of the Firm.
Ms Bond said: "Gradually, she has also earned the respect of the public and, I believe, of the rest of the family.
"We look at her now not just as William's wife, but as our future Queen."
It comes as last week Princess Kate since announcing the completion of her cancer treatment. The royal, accompanied by the Prince of Wales, visited Southport to meet the bereaved parents of victims of the stabbing rampage in Southport.
Kate and William spent 90 minutes meeting privately with the families of Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, who were killed at the Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29. They also met with their teacher.
