The royal spotlight may be heading for a dramatic October showdown, because just as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s return to Britain continues to generate headlines over security, family tensions and their uncertain place within royal life, Princess Kate is preparing for the kind of glittering occasion that reminds everyone exactly where she stands in the future of the monarchy.

Kate’s next major tiara moment is expected to come during the state visit of Sultan Haitham bin Tarik of Oman from October 20 to 22, when King Charles III and Queen Camilla are due to host the Omani leader at Windsor Castle, with a white-tie state banquet expected to provide one of the biggest royal glamour moments of the autumn. PEOPLE reports that while the complete royal lineup has not yet been confirmed, William and Kate are expected to play a prominent role.

And this is about considerably more than a tiara.

State visits place William and Kate directly at the center of the monarchy’s most important diplomatic occasions, giving the future King and Queen an increasingly visible role alongside Charles and Camilla. As royal biographer Ingrid Seward put it after Kate’s appearance during Donald Trump’s state visit, “She is definitely showing traits of being a remarkable future queen.”

That comes at a fascinating moment, because Harry and Meghan’s return has created a fresh wave of royal headlines, while the fallout surrounding Charles Spencer’s deeply personal Diana memoir has added another layer of drama around the family.

Yet William and Kate appear to be taking a very different approach to the noise.

Royal author Simon Vigar described their attitude toward Harry and Meghan’s return in remarkably blunt terms: “It is keep calm and carry on. They see it as a sideshow and ancient history.”

That phrase may capture Kate’s strategy perfectly. Rather than allowing every Sussex development to dictate the royal agenda, she has continued stepping forward, appearing beside William and gradually taking on more of the public responsibilities expected of a future Queen.

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But Meghan may have something of her own waiting in the wings.

According to the Daily Mail report Meghan is reportedly eyeing the possibility of attending the October 9 celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of The Phantom of the Opera in London. Her attendance has not been confirmed, but if she does appear, it would give the former actress a major British show-business platform, particularly because Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber and King Charles have a longstanding relationship.

That could make October especially interesting.

Kate would have the palace, the tiara, the state banquet and the extraordinary machinery of royal diplomacy behind her, while Meghan, potentially, could have the theatre, celebrities, cameras and the glamour of her former profession.

And with Harry and Meghan now building a life in Britain, PEOPLE reports that the Royal Family still “don’t know what their motives are,” while another source says William and Kate remain focused on their family and royal work.

So October could deliver two very different kinds of spotlight.

Kate appears ready to step further into the power and responsibility of the role waiting for her, while Meghan may be preparing her own grand London moment — proving that when it comes to the Sussexes and the Waleses, the battle for headlines is far from over.