The new Princess of Wales will see her royal responsibilities get ever greater with husband Prince William now heir to the throne.
But fortunately it seems like Kate has a loyal bunch of friends she remains incredibly close to that act as a much-needed support system. Many of the women have known the princess since her school and university days and have some since been handed the prestigious roles of godmothers to her three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. So who are the women that Kate can turn to for advice or just a catch up over a cup of tea? Here we take a look...
Sophie Carter
Sophie is believed to be one of Kate’s closest friends, and the two women are often pictured out and about together. Sophie is Princess Charlotte’s godmother and spends lots of time with the family.
They’ve also been on holiday together, taking their families skiing back in 2016.
She’s a regular at royal wedding as she also made the guest list for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 's big day.
Sophie has also joined the royals for at a Christmas church service in Sandringham, and been spotted at other social events including Wimbledon.
She used to date one of Prince William's best friends, Thomas van Straubenzee, another of Charlotte's godparents, however things didn’t work out.
In 2018, she married Robert Snuggs with Prince George acting as a pageboy and Charlotte as a bridesmaid.
Lady Laura Meade
Lady Laura Meade is another of Kate's closest friends with the pair meeting through their husbands.
Laura's other half James is a good pal of Prince William with both men playing roles at each other's weddings - William was an usher at James' wedding while James gave a speech at the royal nuptials.
Both couples have kids with Laura being a godmother to Prince Louis and James being a godfather to Princess Charlotte.
Emilia Jardine-Paterson
Emilia Jardine-Paterson has been a friend of Kate's since their school days, with both women formerly attending Marlborough College.
Their friendship appears to have stood the test of time, with Emilia taking Kate on a girls trip to Ibiza after the now Prince and Princess of Wales briefly split in 2007.
Mum-of-three Emilia, who is a godmother to Prince George, is married to husband David and she runs her own interior design company.
She is even said to have helped Kate when it came to redecorating her country retreat of Anmer Hall.
Hannah Carter
Another of Kate's close pals from school is Hannah Carter, who also went to the prestigious Marlborough College.
Hannah and Kate's friendship has remained largely out of the public spotlight - although she is one of Prince Louis' godmothers.
Both William and Kate attended Hannah's wedding in 2012 to wealthy landowner Robert Carter - with the nuptials taking place on the royal couple's first wedding anniversary.
Trini Foyle
Another of Kate's besties from her time at Marlborough College is Trini Foyle.
Trini and Kate met when they were around 14 - and both headed to Scotland for university, although Trini went to Edinburgh, where she studied politics.
She previously worked in the office of Conservative MP Jeremy Hunt and is married to husband Ted Foyle.
Trini has a son called Alexander, who is similar in age to Prince George, and it has been reported the two mums had been spotted on playdates together with their children in Kensington Palace Gardens.
Pippa Matthews
Meanwhile, Kate's girl gang wouldn't be complete without her younger sister Pippa.
Pippa, who is two years younger than her royal sister, is married to hedge fund manager James Matthews and they have three children together - Arthur, Grace and Rose.
The sisters also have a younger brother James, who recently married his French wife Alizée Thevenet in a simple ceremony in the south of France.
The two sisters were incredibly close growing up with Pippa famously being her older sibling's maid of honour at her 2011 royal wedding.
And repaying the favour, Kate also carried out the role at Pippa's nuptials several years later.
Speaking on the Today show in the US in 2014, Pippa once remarked: "We're very close. And, you know, we support each other and get each other's opinions and things."
Sophie Wessex
When it came to learning the ropes of royal life, Sophie was a huge support to Kate and they've remained close ever since.
Despite their 17-year age gap, the two royal women are often seen laughing and joking at events and have even carried out joint engagements for their shared passions.
One thing that Sophie and Kate may have bonded over is the fact they both had relatively normal upbringings.
Sophie grew up in a middle-class family like Kate without any of the trappings of royalty.
Both women attended normal school and had experience of holding down regular jobs before marrying into the Firm.
Before Sophie married Edward in 1999, she worked in PR, while before Kate's wedding to Prince William in 2011, she was an accessories buyer at fashion chain Jigsaw.
On marrying their husbands, both women also had to learn to navigate royal life and carry out engagements, with both now being seen as major assets to the Firm.
