Kate Goes to Princess School

Some people are born into royalty. Others have to learn what to do at princess school. Such is the fate of the Duchess of Cambridge, née Kate Middleton, who is learning her Ps and Qs from a series of private tutors. In recent weeks, experts on various aspects of British life have been visiting St. James Palace to instruct the woman who might one day be queen on just about everything. “The duchess is being briefed on how the state works, getting to know our national institutions better and learning more about organizations such as the arts, the media, and the government," a royal source tells the Telegraph. "It's a process that will carry on for several months, but is being done privately."

Kate's also doing some research on her own, says the source. Royal handlers have apparently learned from past mistakes. Princess Diana used to complain bitterly that no one prepared her for her royal duties. The drive behind Kate's preparation is coming from hubby Prince William, who wants his wife given every possible means of support for her life as a royal and has insisted her family be welcomed into the royal fold. Kate's currently dividing her time between London, where she's been meeting with heads of charities, and the couple's home in Anglesey. William will be deployed early next year to the Falklands. (More Prince William stories.)