Young royals at war

She’s won the hearts of the adoring public but behind the scenes Kate is earning more enemies than friends..

They’ve weathered decades of scandal and whispers of in-fighting, but to the casual observer it appears the House of Windsor is finally a united and happy family unit. And it’s thanks in no small part to fresh-faced and popular Kate Middleton marrying into the monarchy. The Duchess of Cambridge, 30, has taken so well to her new royal status that she’s become the Queen’s right-hand woman and her choice of companion at royal engagements.

In private, it’s believed Kate has even been invited to call her “Grandmama”. Which is why long-time royal watchers were floored when a memo was leaked from Clarence House last week that stated Kate was to be pushed further down the pecking order, firmly below Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, who are fifth and sixth in line to the throne. Despite being the future queen, the private document states that Kate, a commoner, must curtsey to blood royals – both publicly and in private – unless her husband Prince William is present.

Insiders say it’s less about protocol and more a case of a couple of noses being put out of joint by Kate’s newfound superstar status. Beatrice and Eugenie – daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson – were unceremoniously swept aside during the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations to make way for Kate. According to UK newspaper Daily Mail, “anxious” Beatrice, 23, even appealed to her cousin William, asking for “official roles” for her and her sister in the Jubilee.

When she and Eugenie, 22, were noticeably absent from the group of family members flanking their grandmother for her historic balcony wave, it was clear her plea went unnoticed. “Beatrice and Eugenie have a tough role. They don’t have the clout of senior royals like William,” respected royal expert Bill Coles tells Woman’s Day.