Kate and William are facing more pressure "than ever before," says expert

Following Queen Elizabeth's sad passing last year at the age of 96, Prince William and Princess Kate have had to step up as the next couple in line to the throne, and as Prince and Princess of Wales.

By all accounts, the two are exceedingly well prepared for their difficult roles, but that doesn't mean they're not feeling a certain amount of pressure to do right by the British public and by the Royal Family institution in general.

"There’s clearly a lot of pressure on William and Catherine, now more than ever before," royal expert Jennie Bond told OK!. "And with the number of working royals decreasing, it is only going to mount."

Of course, the Queen is no longer here to take on some of the responsibilities of royal life, but she's not the only one. The disgraced Prince Andrew has been removed from public life since 2019 after his ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein came to light.

Additionally, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down as working royals to become public individuals in Southern California in early 2020. Meanwhile, King Charles is famously putting in place a "slimmed-down monarchy," which may mean even fewer working royals in the future.

Commenting on William and Kate, Jennie added: "Thousands of requests are made every year for a member of the Royal Family to attend events — and these two are always top of that list. They’re in constant demand. But it’s not surprising as they have huge star quality."

The Wales family were on summer holiday until recently, but are now firmly back to work. William and Kate attended a memorial service for the late Queen in Wales on Friday, then both headed off to France to separately watch two Rugby World Cup matches.

On Tuesday, the princess visited a prison in her role as patron of The Forward Trust, which works to support people in the criminal justice system.