Over the years, Kate Middleton's connection with her father-in-law King Charles has gone from strength to strength. But experts, in a recent Channel 5 documentary titled Kate and The King: A Special Relationship, have now revealed that Kate has specifically contributed to creating a more approachable image for the monarch, alongside his formal role.
While behind the scenes, Charles has always been a strong supporter of Kate, it appears that in return she has played a significant role in making her father-in-law appear "more relatable" to the public.
Here we take a look at how the Princess of Wales has helped the King in four key ways...
Public embrace
India McTaggart, a Royal correspondent from The Telegraph, highlighted one such moment at Prince Philip's funeral in 2021. Amid the social distancing restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, only a select few attended Philip's funeral.
Despite this, Kate didn't hesitate to comfort Charles as he mourned his father. "We saw her comfort him when he was clearly grieving. She's more and more tactile with him, I think, which is also lovely to see," McTaggart observed.
Touching photographs
Another instance where Kate's influence helped make the King seem more relatable was when she took a heartwarming photo of her husband William and Charles sharing a tender moment. In the picture, Charles rests his head on his son's shoulder, both men grinning widely while William wraps his arm around his father's shoulder.
This candid snapshot captured by Kate revealed the closeness and playfulness between the two royals, presenting a down-to-earth image reminiscent of many people's family photos, reports the Mirror.
Grandfather duties
Kate Middleton has shared her go-to parenting trick with Charles, giving fans an inside look into how the Royals maintain a sense of normalcy in their family. In an adorably candid family picture, Kate happily lets her son Prince Louis, then only a baby, grab his grandad's face with unfettered enthusiasm.
The interaction ignited laughter, contributing to an unscripted, genuine moment. Talking about the occasion, body language expert Judi James praised Kate for reading the situation so well, saying: "That is absolutely phenomenal because for a formal picture, how did Kate know that Charles would be happy with that? She clearly did because she's smiling, but she's not doing what most of us would be doing [holding the child back]... she knows that Charles would approve of this."
Parenting tips
Another time when Prince Louis became the star of the show was during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022. The young Royal had plenty of energy that day, turning to Grandpa Charles for help, and underestimating how hands-on the future King could be as a grandparent.
"That moment at the Jubilee where I think Kate was having problems with Louis, who is a bit of a handful, and she turned to Charles and he was a calming influence on a very lively young boy," explained a royal editor for The Sun.
