Royal Watch News

Queen Elizabeth 'impressed' by Duchess Catherine

Feb 6, 2012, 17:36 GMT

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

Britain's Queen Elizabeth is 'impressed' by Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.
The 85-year-old monarch is said to have 'grown very fond' of the 30-year-old royal - who married Prince William in April 2011 - and is particularly pleased with her 'clear sense of direction' in terms of what charities she will work alongside.
A royal insider said: 'So far, Catherine has shown herself to be more than willing and more than capable. She is humble and keen to learn and the queen likes that. She has grown very fond of her and understands the impact she is having on the public.
'There is a feeling that Catherine and William are doing the right thing in the queen's eyes by not taking on too much so they can be fully involved with the charities they do support. And she is impressed by Catherine's clear sense of direction about what kind of causes she is interested in.'
Queen Elizabeth - who celebrates 60 years on the throne next week - was reportedly 'touched' by the public reaction to last year's royal wedding, and is happy to let Catherine 'take things at her own pace' as she settles in to her new life as a member of the royal family.
The source added to the Daily Mirror newspaper: 'The queen was so happy on the wedding day, she was practically skipping. Seeing her family full of joy but also seeing the public support and excitement touched her greatly.
'She was very supportive of William and Catherine leading up to the wedding and nothing could have reaffirmed more that they have the potential to achieve great things for the monarchy. The whole of Britain seemed to have turned up to wish them well.'
'There is a definite feeling of wanting to give Catherine time to get used to her royal life rather than thrust her in at the deep end and say, 'OK, off you go'. The queen supports the idea she should be allowed to take things at her own pace.'