After Kensington Palace went into firefighting mode this week to deny a report that the Duchess of Cambridge is feeling “exhausted” and “trapped” in her royal role, it seems a refreshed Kate is ready to return to work. While aides are working on an autumn program for the Cambridges, Kate is preparing to resume her work into her early years campaign as soon as the lockdown is lifted sources close to the royal have revealed.

The royal and mother of three was busy working on the campaign before the COVID-19 pandemic but put the work—aimed at improving the lives of children under five—on hold to focus on supporting organizations and charities during the health crisis. As Britain prepares to return to work after the lock down, Kate is planning to resume her campaign.

The news comes after a report that the Duchess is feeling overwhelmed with her workload. A story earlier this week in Tatler reported that Kate has been complaining to friends that she is overworked and feels “exhausted” and “trapped.”

“Kate is furious about the larger workload. Of course she’s smiling and dressing appropriately but she doesn’t want this,” an unnamed source told the magazine. “She’s working as hard as a top CEO, who has to be wheeled out all the time, without the benefits of boundaries and plenty of holidays.”

Kensington Palace made the rare move of issuing a statement about the article which it claimed contained “a swathe of inaccuracies and false misrepresentations.”

The article also asserted that Kate and Meghan Markle had a fallout in the run up to the latter’s wedding to Prince Harry over hosiery. Sources who work closely with Kate said that allegation had not rattled her, citing again her displeasure with the idea that she felt somehow overworked. The royal has been “more than happy” to step up to the plate and always wanted 2020 to be a pivotal year, sources said. According to one well-placed source, she is looking forward to resuming her official program when she can. “It’s the suggestion that she resents her duty and hard work which has upset her,” says a source. “She takes her role very seriously and has been working harder than ever. The idea she feels trapped and exhausted simply isn’t the case.”

While it has been a busy period for the Cambridges, the couple have embraced their roles as front-line royals during the pandemic with dedication and a sense of humor. They have video conference called schools, nursing staff, and organizations to offer some much needed support and at times offered light relief.

Throughout the pandemic, the couple have appeared more relatable than ever before with Kate doing her first ever (remote) breakfast TV interview in which she admitted juggling work with home schooling had posed challenges. According to one family friend, both Kate and William have enjoyed lockdown. “It has meant lots of time together as a family, which they don’t often get, and they have enjoyed doing their bit to help out at this time,” says the friend. Contrary to Kate feeling under too much pressure, sources close to her say she is enjoying being so busy and looking forward to picking up where she left off.

“She has really been enjoying the early years work and has found her stride and purpose,” says a source who works closely with her. “She sees this work as a life-long commitment and she has worked really hard on this campaign.”

At the palace, the Duchess has a reputation for being a grafter, to use the British term of art. “She has thought long and hard about what she wants to do and how she can make a difference,” says an aide. It is why the organizations and causes she has chosen to work with reflect her personal interests: the importance of nature, sport, child development, and photography.

As the royal historian Sarah Gristwood told me, Kate taking on a more visible role has come at a crucial time for the Royal Family who are three members down following Prince Andrew’s fall from grace and the Sussexes unexpected decision to quit their official positions and head for America.

“Harry and Meghan leaving the firm has left a void and I think the royal family were at risk of looking out of touch and dowdy without them. With Charles and Camilla over 70, and Anne about to get there, and the Queen scaling back, there is a serious vacuum when it comes to star appeal at the heart of the royal family,” Gristwood said. “This is Kate’s moment to shine.”

While the pandemic has sent her work on a different trajectory, Kate has been widely praised for being diligent and resilient and the start of the year saw her take on a more high profile role.

“A lot of hard work went into the planning of this year,” says an aide. “The focus for Catherine was always going to be the Early Years and making a real difference in this sector.”

There was the launch of Kate’s nationwide survey “5 Big Questions on the Under Fives” and numerous trips around the country. Before lockdown the couple visited Yorkshire, South Wales, and Northern Ireland, a particularly important visit post Brexit which put William and Kate on the world stage. In February they joined the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall on a visit to a rehabilitation center in the north of England, their first engagement together in nine years in what was seen as a show of unity within the family.

By mid-March, COVID-19 was spreading across the country and the royals retreated to their country boltholes. William and Kate have been at their Norfolk home ever since. They work daily, touching base with their organizations and charities and doing what they can to support the emergency services and local communities. The couple have not confirmed whether they will be sending Princess Charlotte to school on Monday when her class returns to Thomas’s in Battersea.

“What has been reinforced throughout all of this is just how important the Cambridges are,” says Gristwood. “There is a repositioning going on within the Royal Family and we are clearly seeing this. I think this is one of the most important stages in Kate’s life as a royal. As a young mother Kate was allowed to raise her children away from the media spotlight but now we are seeing a shift. She’s working harder, being more visible and we are also seeing more of the Cambridge children. Kate has been given a platform to take on a more prominent role. She’s not just accompanying William to engagements, she is doing things independently and voicing new ideas.”

According to those close to Kate, we’ll see more of these new ideas over the coming months.

— Prince Harry’s Quarantine Lament: The Ex-Royal Is Reportedly Feeling a Little Sad in L.A.
— Astronaut Jessica Meir Returns Home to a “Completely Different Planet”
— Can a New Book Finally Settle the Feud Rumors Between Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton?
— This Is What Swedish Chefs Learned While Keeping Their Restaurants Open in the Pandemic
— Even Stephen King Thinks We’re Living in a Stephen King Book
— A Pandemic Won’t Kill the Open Office, but Slack Could
— From the Archive: The Lonely Heir, an Inside Look at Prince Charles’s Childhood

Looking for more? Sign up for our daily newsletter and never miss a story.