The dynamic is not lost on courtiers, who note William and Camilla’s frosty relations remain unresolved. William has reportedly struggled to reconcile his loyalty to his late mother, Princess Diana, with his father’s marriage. Middleton’s closeness to Charles only sharpens the feeling, sources claimed.
One added: “Catherine immediately sits at the heart of three key relationships – with William, with the King, and with the Queen. Two of those are thriving, one clearly is not. That imbalance is bound to shape the monarchy’s future.”
Sally Bedell Smith, a royal biographer, previously remarked: “Charles shares with William an impulse to protect Catherine. They are in this together, Kate and the King.”
But another palace insider suggested the bond may create simmering new sensitivities, as they noted, “Alongside the respect Kate commands, there’s also jealousy and unease. When one figure becomes so close to the king, it doesn’t go unnoticed.”
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