Kate Middleton ‘critical to the running of monarchy’ as Prince William worries over Andrew scandal

Currently, the royal family is going through one of the most challenging periods in modern royal history.

With an arrest, departures from the Firm and the ongoing Epstein scandal, the British monarchy has been hit by one storm after the other in recent years.

The King and Queen have steadied the ship as best they can, with the support of the Prince and Princess of Wales.

However, it up to William and Kate to steer it safely for the next generation and the prince has promised "change for good" when his reign eventually comes.

But key to his success as monarch, and indeed as heir to the throne, is the strength and support of his future Queen.

The couple's statement last month in response to the ongoing Epstein scandal, in which they said that they were "deeply concerned by the continuing revelations" and that "their thoughts remain focused on the victims", showed that they are united on the issue.

HELLO! magazine reports that Prince William has been worried how the Epstein scandal and his uncle, former prince, Andrew’s involvement in it, would affect the monarchy, but it is Kate’s strength and graceful presence as well a major popularity that has given him hope.

"She is critical to the running of the monarchy, and she really does understand the vision of the future," says Russell Myers, the author of William & Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story.

"She's aligned with William on the issue of Andrew [and the belief] that his continued association would have been very, very damaging to the monarchy,” he further mentioned.

"She's the glue, really," adds Robert Jobson, the author of Catherine, the Princess of Wales. "She has an understanding of the way the world works. This is a woman who has come from the people and actually does understand what people expect."

Last week, the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, visited Leicester, where she received a warm reception and was even mobbed on the city’s Golden Mile, where many people greeted her with hugs and an elderly woman gifted her a printed Hindu blessing to wish the princess well.