In the past year, King Charles has now hosted four state visits and state banquets at Windsor Castle. For each state banquet, he and Queen Camilla pose for portraits with the visiting heads of state. At no point has Charles invited the Prince and Princess of Wales to pose for these portraits alongside the visiting heads of state. So, to pull focus from Charles and the sidepiece queen, Prince William and Kate have been organizing their own separate portraits, just the two of them, with increasingly random backdrops. In all of last year’s state visits, William and Kate released their portraits on the nights of the state banquets. For the Nigerian state visit, W&K waited a day before releasing their portrait. My guess? Charles probably told them to cut it out and stop pulling focus. This week’s portrait was taken by Christianah Ebenezer and it was released on Thursday evening (GMT).

Increasingly, these Windsor Castle state visits feel like humiliation rituals for Bill and Kathy. Charles won’t even allow them on the dais, and they’re treated like morons who are only capable of handling the big-kid job of “chauffeurs.” But according to their biographer Russell Myers, William and Kate are preparing to rule, damn it, and they are “changemakers.” Some highlights from Myers’ interview with Vanity Fair:

A keen linchpin: “What many people don’t realize, even for those of us who follow the royals closely, is what an integral part of the institution Catherine is,” royal journalist Russell Myers recently told Vanity Fair. “I found it fascinating just how much William relies on [Catherine]. Both professionally, personally and emotionally. Many friends told me how they had witnessed Catherine arguably being the stronger of the two when she was dealt her cancer diagnosis. William felt it incredibly disorientating, his father had been diagnosed with cancer just a few days before, he felt as though he had been hit by a bus. His mind was filled with doubt about his father’s condition, then, his wife’s, and of course, how they would break the news to their three young children. While it was of course incredibly upsetting and shocking for Catherine, she was able to take a step back and assess the situation clearly, releasing that they would both need to step back for a time from royal duties and be together as a family. That partnership is integral to who they are as people.”

Keen changemakers: “We have seen in recent times William openly speaking about change— and “change for good.” This will involve making the monarchy more accountable, such as William’s ongoing audit with the Duchy of Cornwall, and more relatable, such as William and Catherine centering on public work that has more impact across many years, such as his homelessness project Homewards, the environmental project Earthshot, or Catherine’s early years work. William will also drastically reduce the time and format of a coronation, for example. And they won’t be afraid to speak out on events that matter to them, whether that is social wellbeing, the state of the nation or global issues such as war in the Middle East and Europe.”

Kate’s quiet power: “She is very strategically-minded; she knows this is a role for the long haul. Catherine has faced an awful lot of unfair criticism in the past regarding her approach to royal duties, her perceived lack of experience even though she’s been doing the job for 15 years, or her proficiency for public speaking, for example. But what came up time and time again from those closest to them as a couple, is that behind the scenes she is certainly across the detail, looking to the future and making strides in areas such as her personal vision for the early years, or supporting William’s vision for modern change, that will have an effect for generations to come.

Who is the disciplinarian between William & Kate? “Their values are shared. They support one another with boundaries for the children. The children are aware of their position in the family and the wider world, but in a way that is very different to William and Harry’s upbringing. The concept of “heir and spare” may be clear in the different roles the children will play in the future, but both William and Catherine view it as damaging and archaic, and it doesn’t feature in their upbringing of the children.”

William & Kate will have no support as king & queen: “They’ve become closer due to the major events of the last few years. They realize their time together is precious, they may only have a few more years until they are king and queen when their roles will change dramatically. And they have found a great deal of common ground facing these issues together. When Harry and Meghan left their roles, suddenly William and Catherine’s looked a lot different without support in the future. Even though they of course hope the King is around for many years to come, they are both ready to step into the roles when required, which has come from a reliance on each other and an appreciation that they will be leading a much slimmed down monarchy in the future.

[From Vanity Fair]

William is doing an ongoing audit of the Duchy of Cornwall? I don’t believe that, and even the idea of it is a dig at his father, who transformed the duchy into the slumlord paradise it is today. This is great: “Catherine has faced an awful lot of unfair criticism in the past regarding her approach to royal duties, her perceived lack of experience even though she’s been doing the job for 15 years, or her proficiency for public speaking…” Yes, she’s lazy, she has no work experience and she can’t make a speech to save her life, but she’ll be keen when she’s queen, they promise! “Looking to the future” is a full-time job, don’t you know. One can’t look to the future AND work more than one day a week in the present day.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images and Christianah Ebenezer for Kensington Palace.