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To be sure, the royal family is acting like the engagement is a mere formality, embracing Kate in a very public way. "The Queen's idea is to have these girlfriends in the fold as much as you can," says Seward. "She likes them to get used to the regimented life of a royal." It has helped that Kate has held up so well under the scrutiny that comes with dating a prince. "She seems completely at ease with the whole Palace machinery," says Seward. "They are clearly treating her with a great deal of respect."
So just how cozy is Kate with the prince? Their body language says it all. See how she strode confidently into the royal viewing box for the Cheltenham Gold Cup horse race in Gloucestershire this March. Notice how, as one spectator put it, when the prince "saw her he had a big smile on his face." Not Prince Will, mind you – he wasn't even there. We're talking about his dad, Prince Charles, whose cheery welcome of Kate had royal watchers abuzz. "He likes her very much," a family friend says. "I am sure he wouldn't be averse to having Kate around."
