Princess Kate Has Helped Heal Unease Between King Charles and Prince William, Royal Expert Says

King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Kate Middleton

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 1 April 2024

King Charles and Prince William—the current monarch and his direct heir to the throne—are arguably closer than they’ve ever been. While William becoming the Prince of Wales in September 2022 (a role Charles once held for longer than anyone in history) and Charles taking the throne at the same time—not to mention the King’s cancer diagnosis earlier this year—has no doubt pushed them closer, ultimately, there’s one person to thank for healing any unease from the past between father and son: the Princess of Wales, The Mirror reports.

Charles and William’s relationship over the years “hasn’t always been the easiest,” royal commentator Victoria Arbiter told The Royal Beat for True Royalty TV. The addition of Kate into the family has acted as a “healing balm” for the King and the Prince of Wales throughout their sometimes strained relationship, she said, and that their tighter bond can be attributed to her.

“I think we can look at Kate—she’s so close to her own family, family is so important to her,” Arbiter said. “[Kate] has been a really wonderful healing balm for Prince William and his father, as well, because that relationship hasn’t always been the easiest. I think she’s just managed to bring a real sense of warmth and camaraderie and family to the royal family.”

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Charles and William struggled when William was younger, especially as Charles carried on an extramarital affair with the then Camilla Parker-Bowles (and now Queen Camilla), which, naturally, broke William’s mother Princess Diana’s heart. Diana and William were famously close, and Diana confided in William often about her struggles.

Arbiter added that Charles and Kate’s already strong relationship has likely grown even stronger as both battle unexpected cancer diagnoses, adding that they “would have found tremendous comfort in each other, going through something so similar.”

King Charles, Queen Camilla, and Kate Middleton — Charles and Kate, both facing down a cancer diagnosis, have gotten even closer this year.

A source speaking to The Sun agreed, adding “They [Charles and Kate] are very close, and he thinks of Catherine as his daughter,” they said. “There is no doubt there is a lot they can share and can use each other for support during their own deeply personal cancer battles.”

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.