Kate Middleton To Receive Rare Royal Honor From Queen, Will Return To Public Duties Next Week

Kate Middleton is set to receive a rare royal honor from Queen Elizabeth II, just a few days after she attended a special meal with Her Majesty to celebrate her becoming the longest-serving monarch.

According to Vanity Fair, the Duchess Of Cambridge is going to receive the Royal Family Order Of Queen Elizabeth II. This rare and mighty honor is given by the Queen to female family members, and is one of the highest that she can provide.

Kate Middleton, 33, is actually the only senior member of the Royal family not to have received a family honor. However, it speaks volumes for just how much the Queen likes the Duchess that she has decided to give it to her just four years after Middleton and Prince William exchanged vows.

Normally, Queen Elizabeth bestows this honor on family members several years after they have been married to royalty and only after they’ve produced heirs. And while Kate Middleton has already produced the third and fourth in line to the monarchy, in the shape of Prince George and Princess Charlotte, respectively, it’s still surprising for many that the Queen is giving this honor to the Duchess so quickly.

And Kate Middleton won’t just be receiving a lavish ceremony in her name when getting this honor. In fact, Middleton will also be the recipient of a “diamond-encrusted brooch,” which features on it an “ivory plaque of the Queen wearing the Order of the Garter.”

According to insiders for Vanity Fair, the Royal Family Order will be given to Kate Middleton at some point before October. It’s believed that the ceremony will be conducted before the Chinese president visits Buckingham Palace at the start of October, where he will have a state dinner.

Meanwhile, the Queen is currently enjoying spending plenty of time with the Cambridges up in Balmoral, which is her Highland home. A source even revealed that the Queen has brought out a hoard of old toys from storage to mark the occasion, explaining, “The Queen has been looking forward to the trip for some time. She arranged for all the old toys to be taken out of storage. She loves having children around.”

According to Hello Magazine, Kate Middleton is set to return to royal duties next on September 17 after a four-month maternity break. The 33-year-old will visit Anna Freud Centre, a child mental health research, training and treatment center in London, while the next day she will join Prince William and Prince Harry at the opening ceremony of the Rugby World Cup 2015.

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