Princess Kate has always been clear that her family comes first, but according to historian Kate Williams , “royal mother” isn’t an archetype that princesses and queens before her have always been able to choose.

Williams explores the stories of everyone from Grace Kelly to Egypt’s most powerful female pharaoh, Hatshepsut, in her new book, Regina: A New History of Royal Women and Power . The professor and author tells Marie Claire that like “the OG” of brand-building, Queen Elizabeth , Princess Kate also “has used image very effectively and very strategically.”

“I think Kate chose quite sort of early on to occupy the role of royal mother,” Williams says of the mom of three , adding that role “has always been something that royal women have wanted to occupy, but often they're not allowed.”

The Prince and Princess of Wales are joined by Prince Louis, Prince George and Princess Charlotte during Trooping the Colour 2026.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Queen Marie Antoinette is pictured with three of her…