Royal Kate to begin public role

LONDON, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- As Britain's Prince William prepares for duty as a helicopter pilot in the Falkland Islands, his wife Kate is preparing for duties of her own, friends said.

The duchess of Cambridge will participate in a series of engagements for the charities of which she recently became patron.

"Kate will attend events for each of the organizations," an unnamed friend of the duchess told The Daily Telegraph. "Some of them will be public visits, others will be kept private."

Since the royal wedding last April, she has carried out only one public engagement without Prince William, and using his absence to launch herself as a solo member of the royal family is seen as a bold move, the newspaper said.

The duchess, who turned 30 this month, will undertake each of the engagements on her own.

Her one previous public engagement came in October when Charles, the prince of Wales, was forced to miss a charity dinner in order to fly to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and pay condolences to the royal family after the death of the crown prince.

Prince Charles said his "darling daughter-in-law" agreed to appear at the dinner in his place.