Royals: Kate to be queen's "wingwoman" at events
Prince William is on military duty in the Falkland Islands, so his wife, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, the former Kate Middleton, is flying solo at royal engagements.
On Tuesday, Kate appeared at the first alcohol-free bar in Liverpool called The Brink, set up by Action on Addiction. The bar is to help people recovering from addiction have a place to socialize without pressure. The duchess then visited the Ronald McDonald House to visit critically-ill children, their families and the staff and volunteers there, and then onto the Alder Hey Children's Hospital, one of the busiest and biggest hospitals in Europe.
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However, Kate isn't flying solo for long. Soon she'll be appearing with Queen Elizabeth II.
Gayle King said on CBS This Morning" it's like Kate's "the queen's wingwoman."
"Usually it's Prince Philip or a member of her family. I think it's quite an honor that she thinks, 'Kate, I want to go with you,'" King said.
Royal contributor Victoria Arbiter said, "This is completely unprecedented. It really is a big deal. She is going to be attending an event with the queen and Camilla (Prince Charles' wife), so we've got not just a reigning queen, but two future queens."
The duchess will join the queen and Camilla on March 1 for a visit to a new restaurant at the luxury department store Fortnum and Mason, Buckingham Palace officials said Monday.
"There's not a bigger public seal of approval from the queen than an appearance like that," Arbiter said. "Ultimately, what it comes down to is Prince Philip has his own set of engagements that day. They're going to the department store. There's going to be tea. He was quite happy to leave that one to the ladies. It is the queen's Diamond Jubilee year, and so, she is going to be out with her family."For more on the upcoming events and what's in the works for the queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations, including a star-studded music event, watch the video in the player above for all the details.