Kate Middleton is the ‘people’s princess, but her own version’, says royal biographer Katie Nicholls

The Queen will rely on the Duchess of Cambridge ‘more than ever’ as she braces for a ‘difficult’ year with Prince Andrew’s legal woes and Prince Harry’s upcoming memoir, a royal expert has claimed. 

The Queen, 95, already ‘hugely values’ Kate’s work for the Royal Family, which has become increasingly high profile in recent years. 

The Duchess of Cambridge, 39, has ‘stepped up’ and taken on more responsibility in the wake of Megxit and will play an even more important role in 2022, it is claimed.

Speaking to Closer, royal author Katie Nicholl said: ‘In recent years, we’ve seen her leadership in the wake of Megxit, throughout which she’s kept calm and carried on. 

The Queen, 95, already ‘hugely values’ Kate’s work for the Royal Family, which has become increasingly high profile in recent years. Above, the Queen and Kate Middleton in 2014

‘I think this year she’ll come into her own even more, especially as it’ll be a tough year for the royals. 

‘Harry and Meghan’s interviews this year have caused chaos for the royals, and Harry’s new memoir – due out next year – will likely reveal even more intimate details about the royal family, and cause further issues. 

‘And Andrew’s court case will too. Kate will step up and I know the Queen hugely values her support, and will rely on her more than ever.’

It comes as it emerged Prince Andrew could settle out of court with his US sex-case accuser if a judge rules that the case should go to trial.

Insiders say the option ‘remains on the table’ if, as expected, Judge Lewis Kaplan rejects his legal team’s motion this week to have Virginia Roberts’ lawsuit dismissed at an early stage.

Andrew’s team are understood to acknowledge the ‘attritional impact’ the case is having on the Royal Family, particularly as the Queen, 95, is due to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee this June with the threat of a scandalous sex trial involving her son hanging over her.

This year will see Prince Harry bring out a memoir, which could deepen current rifts, in the same year his grandmother celebrates her landmark Platinum Jubilee

‘Obviously, this is a US case involving US lawyers and involving a US civil lawsuit,’ one source said. ‘In reality, 99 per cent of US civil litigations are settled out of court.

A settlement would always be an option on the table, as that’s where the vast majority end up. There is also the wider pressure and attritional impact to consider.’

Sources with knowledge of the case stressed last night to the Daily Mail that no discussions have taken place yet about whether the Queen’s son could – or should – agree a settlement without liability being admitted.

But neither had it been ruled out as an option, they said.

Buckingham Palace has refused to comment, describing it as an ‘ongoing legal matter’.

Prince Harry’s memoir is reportedly an additional source of stress for the family. 

Royal sources told the Mail that inside Buckingham Palace and the other royal households, there was an increasing sense of anger and frustration – not just because he had chosen to write such a book, but also over the ‘clearly deliberate’ timing of its publication this autumn.

It could be ‘the last straw’ for Harry and his family, with relations already at breaking point, insiders said.

Having already been writing for a year, the prince is set to turn in a manuscript, which he promised will be a ‘first-hand account of my life that’s accurate and wholly truthful’, by the end of this year. It is set to hit the shelves in 2022.