With Prince William and Kate Middleton's new roles come new responsibilities.
After being named the Prince and Princess of Wales by King Charles III in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II's death, the couple is now expected to start shouldering more responsibilities, royal expert Jonathan Sacerdoti exclusively told E! News.
This is especially the case for Prince William, 40, as he's now the heir apparent. "And unlike his father, there probably won't be such a long wait because Charles is already in his 70s," Sacerdoti said, "which means that William will be coming to the throne in a much shorter period of time."
Thankfully, William already has plenty of experience. As Sacerdoti pointed out, the prince—along with King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla, as well as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle before they stepped down as royal family—took on "a lot of responsibilities" in recent years as Queen Elizabeth II's health began suffering.
"I think that that has probably prepared him for this new role as Prince of Wales, but there will probably be a stepping up even there," he added. "Things will shift a bit. I think it's a part of growing up and growing into the role and knowing that his duty is going to increase and his service is likely to increase, and there's no reason to think he won't carry that all out excellently."
As for Kate, 40, the new Princess of Wales, Sacerdoti predicts that she'll continue to do what she does best: connect with people on a personal level. "She's always carried out her role with the family actually very well," he noted. "She's somebody that is immensely popular with the public. They absolutely love her."
Sacerdoti continued, "When you see her appearing in walkabouts like they've done recently, and you see the way she speaks with the crowd, the way she engages with them—she talks about her children, she asks people questions about their lives that help them feel she's genuinely interested in them—I think she's excellent at all of that work."
Kate herself also plays an important role in Prince William's work, too. As Sacerdoti put it, she's "an immense support for him."
"I think that's something that's very, very important to their relationship and to his role as Prince of Wales," he added "I think we'll see her carrying on like that, really shouldering a lot of the burden herself, supporting her husband but also doing excellent work herself on issues that are particularly important to her."
It's a sentiment that King Charles III himself shared when first announcing William and Kate's new titles during his first address as monarch. "With Catherine beside him, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations," His Majesty said Sept. 9, "helping to bring the marginal to the center ground where vital help can be given."