Though Queen Elizabeth has no set plans on when she will step down from the throne, Her Royal Highness has already begun preparing Kate Middleton for the day when she will take on the role of the Queen of England. In mid-March, the royal duo stepped out for their first-ever solo outing at King’s College London — which royal sources say was designed specifically for the monarch-in-training.

“Kate’s been taking on new responsibilities little by little over the last few years, so it won’t be a shock when the time comes,” royal expert Rebecca Long dished to Us Weekly in the magazine’s latest issue. “William and Kate are the favorite royals to take the crown in many generations, so the people of the U.K. are very excited about it.”

Queen Elizabeth II and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visit King's College London to officially open Bush House
Getty Images

The British public aren’t the only ones looking forward to the bittersweet change, though. The royal insider close to Kate, 37, and Elizabeth, 92, dished that Her Majesty has been a key figure for the mom-of-three. “She’s really taken Kate under her wing,” the source told the outlet. “The two of them will often spend hours discussing royal life and the future of the monarchy.”

It looks like Elizabeth got a headstart on preparing Kate for the throne, but the Duchess of Cambridge still has some time before that day comes. When the queen retires, her son Prince Charles is set to take over. After the Prince of Wales, 70, steps down, Kate’s husband, Prince William, will then be given the title of King of England while the brunette beauty will snag the crown as the queen.

royal-family
Getty Images

Although Charles is expected to take over when his mom — who is the longest-reigning British monarch after serving for nearly 67 years — steps down, a survey that came out in early January revealed that 46 percent of the British public believes that Charles should abdicate the throne and let his oldest son become the next king when Queen Elizabeth passes away.

The poll stated that, when the time comes, the percentile is hoping that Charles will step down immediately this way William, 36, can take the throne, stated a poll by BMG Research on behalf of The Independent. If that didn’t sound soul-crushing enough, the poll also surveyed that a mere 20 percent think Charles’ wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, should take the title of the queen alongside him. It looks like we’re going to have to stay tuned to find out what happens!