Princess Kate has been the royals’ most relatable member for many years and their ace in the hole when it comes to public relations, and now she’s taking charge of other royal family members’ images by urging them to be more humble and less unapproachable while preparing for a brand-new era when she and William become king and queen, a source exclusively tells In Touch.

In fact, the princess’ ability to guide the royal household in its effort to revitalize it’s image started way earlier than the Firm’s current troubles with the Sussexes and Prince Andrew, and can be traced back all the way to when the Waleses first got together. “Kate has always been very pragmatic, when she and William were younger, she was the voice of reason reminding him that the country, and the world, was watching his every move and he had a duty to live up to his position,” the insider says. 

While, “she no longer has to take on that role with William,” as “he matured a long time ago and they’re on the same page completely,” there’s still a lot of work left to do for Kate, 43. “Now, it’s about reminding the rest of the family of their obligations and, in Kate’s view, they’d all be wise to work on being a lot more relatable and more humble, too.” 

As In Touch previously reported, Prince William, 42, has been gaining more and more power within the Royal family as his father, King Charles, battles cancer. The prince “has never been more influential,” according to a second source who spoke to In Touch. “It’s no secret that anyone who pushes back against him will be swiftly shown the door,” that palace insider said. “He’s not willing to take any nonsense and the word is he’s already on his way to being the toughest ruler the family has ever seen.”

In addition to clamping down on PR nightmares with his wife’s help, “He wants expenses to be monitored closely, and any fat trimmed straight away,” the source said. “He doesn’t want there to be any sense that special perks are being handed out to the Royals. He’s all about the environment, so he’s pushing hard to be front and center in that respect and has put out this edict that the rest of the family needs to get on board with being as green as possible. Private flights and that sort of thing are being frowned on.”

“The days of wasteful spending and overconsumption are ending now that William is at the helm.”

With Prince Andrew, William’s attitude toward ruling has no doubt been shaped by Kate’s influence, and for the better, the first source argues.

“With the state of the world and the economy, the reality is most people are struggling financially, seeing the royals flaunting their wealth is a huge turn off,” the first insider agrees. “She wants the family to not only tighten their belts, but also get out there and be more hands on, and if there’s anyone they’ll all listen to, it’s Kate.”