The Princess of Wales showed that she and her father-in-law, the King, are closer than ever as she curtsied to him – and kissed him on the cheek – at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral on Tuesday.
The pair warmly greeted each other while attending the moving memorial in Westminster Cathedral yesterday, with Charles, 76, seen putting his arm around Kate, 43.
With her husband William, 43, nearby, they appeared to exchange some brief words while paying their respects for the late royal.
The monarch shares a close bond with his ‘beloved daughter-in-law’, and when they were both diagnosed with cancer in February and March 2024 respectively, their shared health struggles ‘cemented’ that special relationship.
Since then, there have been numerous occasions during which their fondness for each other was spotted by royal watchers.
Last summer, Kate attended Trooping the Colour, joining the Royal Family for the King’s Birthday Parade in London.
In a departure from the year before, when King Charles stood next to his heir Prince William, this time around, he stood next to his daughter-in-law.
This was significant, according to body language expert Judi James, as she explained to the Daily Mail at the time: ‘Charles made Kate his centre of attention to signal both how much she is cherished and how grateful he was at her attendance.’
The Princess of Wales showed that she and her father-in-law, the King, are closer than ever as she curtsied to him – and kissed him on the cheek – at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral on Tuesday
In addition, it has long been thought that the King and his daughter-in-law are close thanks to their shared interests in the arts, among other reasons.
‘Charles has always had an increasingly special relationship with Kate, who he has grown to trust and delight in,’ Judi continued.
‘Here though, that relationship was highlighted to illustrate how those bonds have only deepened and enriched by their bonds of empathy created by their illnesses.’
While the pair were both receiving treatment for cancer in 2024, a royal expert claimed that Charles had ‘always had a great respect for Kate’ and would ‘compare notes’ with her on their hospital’s food during their ‘affectionate’ meetings about their respective cancer treatments.
The pair both received treatment at the London Clinic in Harley Street last year.
Appearing in the Channel 5 documentary Kate: A Queen for the Future, the Daily Mail’s editor-at-large Richard Kay discussed Charles and Kate’s meetings during their time as patients in the hospital.
‘The King actually made a point of going to see Kate and there’s this rather touching story of [Charles] in his dressing gown padding down to his daughter-in-law’s floor,’ he shared.
‘They compared notes about the rather good hospital food, how their treatment was going. It was a moment of great affection.’
The pair warmly greeted each other while attending the moving memorial in Westminster Cathedral yesterday, with Charles, 76, seen putting his arm around Kate, 43
Elsewhere in the documentary, The Telegraph’s royal correspondent India McTaggart said King Charles has always valued the Princess of Wales.
She explained: ‘Charles always had a lot of respect for Catherine and he said that in the wedding toast that he made. He said they were very lucky to have her and it remains true to this day.’
Later in the documentary, royal expert Robert Jobson said that Kate Middleton plays a crucial role in King Charles’ relationship with three grandchildren.
The expert said: ‘Catherine is very important in the relationship between Charlotte, George and Louis and the King.
‘When William and the King aren’t necessarily on the best of terms, as sometimes fathers and sons are, it’s always Catherine who makes sure that the King, if he wants to see his grandchildren, sees his grandchildren.’
The King reportedly thinks Kate is doing a ‘wonderful’ job bringing up George, Charlotte and Louis, and gets to spend more time with his son’s family now they live just a few minutes drive away from Windsor Castle.
William’s wife is also believed to have reportedly helped smooth the sometimes fractious relationship between the King and his son.
King Charles and Kate have also shown several public signs of their close relationship over the past few years.
With her husband William, 43, nearby, they appeared to exchange some brief words while paying their respects for the late royal
For instance, the Princess of Wales lovingly called her father-in-law by his family nickname of ‘grandpa’ when she greeted him at a G7 reception in 2021.
Meanwhile, in April 2021, the then Duchess of Cambridge shared a kiss on the cheek with her grief-stricken father-in-law as they left Prince Philip’s funeral.
Kate consoled Charles as the pair walked out of St George’s Chapel following the emotional service in memory of the Duke of Edinburgh.
Photographs show Kate comforting the then Prince of Wales over the loss of his father by putting her hand on his shoulder.
She then kissed him on the cheek as they set off from the entrance of the chapel.
Elsewhere, when greeting one another at engagements, like during Tuesday’s funeral at Westminster Abbey, the King and his daughter-in-law will often share a friendly embrace and pecks on the cheeks.
Charles has even described his son’s wife as the daughter he had never had while giving a speech during William’s wedding to his now-wife. The now-King said said of the heir’s new spouse: ‘We are lucky to have her.’
