Princess Beatrice is apparently "on the benches" to stand in for Kate Middleton in the "royal crisis" as she and the King both step back from duties over their health issues.
On Wednesday, 17 January, Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace released statements that the Princess of Wales was recovering in hospital after abdominal surgery, and the King is scheduled for hospital treatment next week for an enlarged prostate.
Both have cleared their diaries, with Kate not expected to take on royal duties until after Easter, while Prince William will also scale back his schedule to support her and their three children, leaving the extended family needing to step up.
Now, a well-placed source has told OK! that following the shock announcements, Beatrice has been told to "be on hand" to fill in for Kate during emergency meetings at the Palace on how to handle the crisis – it takes three of the four most senior royals out of action.