Queen Elizabeth’s Priceless Reaction to Kate Middleton and Prince William’s

GEOFF PUGH/POOL/AFP via Getty Queen Elizabeth, Prince William and Kate Middleton

Queen Elizabeth and Kate Middleton share many of the same attributes — they both value discretion, loyalty and duty — but their differences were on display during one of the Queen’s visits to Anmer Hall.

Kate and Prince William’s country home, which they moved into in 2015 after a major renovation, may be on the Queen’s estate in Norfolk, but it’s an unstuffy one, where Kate has been known to come to the door with the kids and one of her lasagnas baking in the oven.

The Queen, however, is distinctly unlikely to sit in any kitchen to eat!

“I remember when they had just finished renovating Anmer Hall, and they invited the Queen over for lunch,” Sally Bedell Smith, author of Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch, tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story.

“They have one of those big kitchens with eating areas, and she said, ‘I can’t understand why everybody spends their time in the kitchen.'”

RELATED: How Kate Middleton Is Modeling Herself on Queen Elizabeth: ‘Never Complain, Never Explain’

Indigo/Getty Anmer Hall

For more on how Kate Middleton has the perfect role model in the Queen, pick up a copy of the latest issue of PEOPLE on newsstands on Friday.

RELATED: All About Kate Middleton and Prince William’s Home Away from Home — Anmer Hall

Kate and William will have even more opportunities to invite the Queen over for lunch as the royal couple are planning a move from London to Windsor, where their children — Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4 — will start a new school. The relocation brings them closer to the Queen, who largely resides in Windsor Castle and will be delighted by the move, say friends.

Samir Hussein/WireImage Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis joined Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles on the Buckingham Palace balcony on June 5.

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They “are representing the Queen impeccably,” Bedell Smith tells PEOPLE. “They’re showing a kind of dedication she would be proud of. And that probably gives her hope.”