It seems Queen Elizabeth will soon be passing the crown to Kate Middleton!

Elizabeth — who recently got over a bad cold — is “reluctantly slowing down,” Paul Burrell, Princess Diana’s former butler, tells Closer Weekly in an exclusive interview. Just last week, she was almost shot by her own guard during 3 a.m. walk!

“Overseas tours are now, for her, in the past, and this is where [Prince William] and Kate will step into the breach,” Burell added.

Now, Kate, 35, will have to start focusing on one day serving as Queen Consort when her husband, William, 34, becomes king — which may in fact be sooner than the royal couple expected.

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The duo — who married in April 2011 and are parents to two kids, son Prince George, 3, and daughter Princess Charlotte, 20 months — are moving to Kensington Palace in London once their little boy starts school in the fall.

“In London, Kate will be able to get to official business more easily than when she was living at Anmer Hall in Norfolk,” an insider explained to Closer of the Duchess of Cambridge’s duties in 2017. “She has always made it clear that family comes first, but now her diary will also be full of official events.”

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The royal family in June 2016.

Despite her royal responsibilities, Kate is making sure this transition is as smooth as possible for her family-of-four. “These precious days can never be bought back,” Burrell tells Closer. “[William’s late mother], Diana, knew that, too.”

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During a recent public appearance, Kate opened up about how difficult being a mom to George and Charlotte could sometimes be.

“Parenting is tough,” she revealed during a visit to London’s Anna Freud Centre for Children and Families on Wednesday, Jan. 11. “And with the history and all the things and the experiences you’ve all witnessed, to do that on top of your own anxieties, and the lack of support you also received as mothers… I find it extraordinary how you’ve managed actually. So, really well done.”

For more on the Queen and Kate, pick up the latest issue of Closer Weekly, on newsstands now!

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