Duchess Kate Takes Royal Lessons

Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge is getting private tutorials at St. James Palace in London to entrench her in the rich, 1,140-year history of the British royal family and bring her up to speed on everything she is going to need to know about her new, very official life.

Apparently, becoming a royal now comes with its own instruction manual.

Representatives from varied British institutions have been quietly meeting with the Duchess of Cambridge, who married Prince William in April.

“The Duchess is being briefed on how the State works, getting to know Britain's national institutions better and learning more about organizations such as the arts, the media and the government,” said a royal source. 

“It is a process that will carry on for several months, but is being done privately.”

In the five months since the wedding, the schedule for Middleton, 29, has been pretty light on official duties.  She and William toured the U.S. and Canada in July, and also visited areas of Birmingham hard hit by rioting over the summer. The Telegraph reported Middleton’s official engagements have been intentionally limited as she gets the lay of the land.