The iron duchess

Another veteran royal correspondent said: “There is huge interest not so much in the content of what she says but in how she says it.”

In America, Kate and William are seventh on the list of the nation’s favourite celebrity couples. The Hollywood star Angelina Jolie was recently accused of copying Kate’s swishy hair-do for the Oscars; and websites such as whatkatewore.com catalogue her every sartorial move.

Interest in the duchess, her sister Pippa and the other royals has reached such a level that The Huffington Post, the US-based online magazine, has appointed a royal blogger and Vanity Fair devotes part of its website to royal developments.

As the palace knows only too well, such scrutiny has its dangers. Behind the scenes, officials are determined not to repeat the mistakes made the last time a young, photogenic princess hit the spotlight.

Unlike Diana, Kate has found that the royal family — the Firm — are all working to ensure their latest recruit feels supported and part of the team.

Their efforts were evident last week when two blue cars drew up at the Dulwich Picture Gallery in south London. Amid children shouting and waving flags, Prince Charles and Camilla stepped out of one car, and Kate joined them from the other.

In the flesh Kate is model-tall and waif-willowy. Her arms are slender and her grey Orla Kiely pleated dress displayed a tiny waist. She greeted Charles with a nervous smile.

Close up — The Sunday Times had “behind-the-rope access” — Kate has bags under her eyes and hollow cheeks; she is said to have been anxious about appearing solo.

She was evidently missing William, who returns from the Falklands this week. “She said she couldn’t wait for him to come back,” revealed Noreesha, nine, one of the children the duchess spoke to.

However, inside the gallery — which boasts works by Poussin, Rembrandt and Gainsborough — the royal support was clear.

While Camilla took on the task of watching a drama group, Charles and Kate inspected colourful self-portraits. Kate is knowledgeable about the use of colour to denote light and shadow, and she talked to the art teacher about what techniques the children responded to best.

Since it was set up in 2002, the Prince’s Foundation for Children & the Arts has helped 100,000 children use art to pursue personal and social development, concentrating on youngsters least likely to come across fine art.

The Dulwich gallery, and four others nationally, plays host to Great Art Quest, a Prince’s Foundation programme that introduces children to visual arts and professional storytellers, providing them with the skills and confidence to create their own works.

Last week Kate put the children at ease with a nervous, but charming, giggle. “Will you show me what to do?” she asked one child. “Will you choose me a background?” she suggested to another, as she made a silk screen print.

Then the two royals moved to a table to do battle with an iron. It was immediately clear that Prince Charles had never handled one before. Rather than swishing it back and forth, he lifted it up and down.

Catherine, the middle-class princess, showed him the ropes. (Later I ask Camilla if the prince had touched an iron before; she laughed and said: “Don’t worry, I’ve got him well trained.”)

The cameras focused almost exclusively on Kate. It was easy to understand how piqued the younger Charles must have been when similar attention was lavished on Diana. This time, however, the princess is being embraced by the family.

Paddy Harverson, the prince’s private secretary, was at pains to point out that the visit — to support the work of the foundation — had come together “organically”.

“The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Charles share a passion for bringing the arts to the kind of children who might not usually have access to them,” he said.

“Catherine of course studied art history. With Prince William away, the family all want to support her and the visit came about out of one of those natural father-in-law to daughter-in-law chats about a shared subject of interest.”

Another palace source insisted that William and Kate “make all the decisions relating to their life, as they did for the wedding”.

However, there is a little more to it than that. This is not the first time Kate has been out and about with the rest of the royals while William has been abroad: she had tea at Fortnum & Mason with Camilla and last week appeared in a fetching green outfit with the Queen.

Palace sources confirm that what we are seeing is a carefully constructed plan to protect the princess from isolation and the lonely fate of Diana.

One palace insider said: “She is being very carefully advised to pick issues to support that are very close to her heart, rather than simply being a figurehead.

“Last week’s activities are part of a careful strategy to integrate her slowly into royal duties and she is being protected with extra media guidance — which is something Diana never had.”

Sir David Manning, the former Whitehall mandarin who travelled with Prince Harry on his recent tour of the Caribbean and Brazil, is an adviser and “sounding board”.

The media operation at the palace is much more clued up than it used to be and the young royals take a firm lead. William and Harry go “through the newspapers every day”, according to another source, while Kate tends to get her news online.

There is no doubt the palace is taking a much tougher stance on stories about the new generation: when The Sun published an allegation last week that Prince Harry had been told to cut back on his drinking if he wanted to be able to fly a combat helicopter in Afghanistan, the palace was quick to insist on a correction. Harry has not been told to do anything different from any other pilot.

The palace, said a well-informed source, now takes a “very strict line with paparazzi activity that involves harassment or pursuit, for the simple reason that it is incredibly dangerous — as had been proved”.

Nevertheless, Kate’s key source of guidance is her husband. The palace source added: “William is the one who is determined that the duchess should have every support given to her . . . He cares deeply about ensuring that that happens and so the household does everything possible to ensure that her entry into royal life is as smooth as possible.

“He knows the system better than anybody else. He’s been at the sharp end of public scrutiny since the day he was born, so he’s the key adviser.”

So far, the commoner, fairytale princess has done a heroic job of seeming to the royal manor born. However, this may be just the beginning, despite the stresses and strains of being first Waitie Katie, the long-suffering girlfriend, and then Beautiful Bride.

An indication of what may be to come was given late last year when Kate was photographed waving with one hand and touching her stomach with the other. A tabloid frenzy about a pregnancy ensued. Magazines in America ran cover stories on how she was expecting twins.

Last week Chinese whispers and the fact that her dog was pregnant drove the rumour mill into top gear once again. “The phones at the palace rang off the hook all day,” said another insider.

Sykes, royal blogger at the US online publication The Daily Beast, said: “A baby will take her to a whole new level in terms of interest. It is already pretty intense, the gossip magazines here focus relentlessly on her weight and appearance, it’s not surprising since she never takes a bad picture — just look at the traffic generated by her playing hockey in pink jeans.

“It’s not at the Diana level yet; she’s different from Di, she’s more demure and restrained. It’s like that whole blondes v brunettes thing. But when Kate gets pregnant, that is going to be the biggest royal story for a decade.”

It’s easy to forget that at the heart of all this speculation is a glossily presented, rather frail- looking young person. Worryingly, like many women in the public gaze — Victoria Beckham, Angelina Jolie — she seems in danger of shrinking before our eyes. Her mother is said to be telling her that she is taking on too much. No wonder her husband, the palace staff and the royal family are pulling out all the stops to support her.