The Princess of Wales has soared in popularity among the Royal Family, charming the nation with her wit and evident dedication to her duties. Even while battling cancer, she has displayed remarkable fortitude.

Kate’s transformation from a demure presence to a confident, engaging and at times assertive Royal has earned her as much admiration from the public as King Charles or Prince William could wish for. Her approachability has earned her the trust of the King, who often seeks her counsel as his “darling daughter-in-law”.

Discussing Kate’s influential role within the family, former BBC Royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK! Magazine: “I think you have to be quite tough to survive and thrive in the Royal Family. It must be easy to be rather intimidated by the hierarchical system of the Palace.

“But Catherine has the advantage of knowing that she will one day be the most senior woman in the family, and indeed in the land. And so she has a right to make her views known about how the institution of monarchy is going to proceed in the years and decades to come.

The Princess of Wales is incredibly close with her father-in-law (Image: Getty Images)

“She seems to be a woman with a great deal of common sense, and I suspect that she applies that common sense to the dilemmas and difficulties which arise.”

The Duchess of Cambridge shares an extraordinarily special bond with her father-in-law, but it’s with another high-ranking Royal that she has cultivated a remarkable connection.

Commenting on the unique bond, Royal expert Jennie remarked, “I think Queen Camilla and Catherine have drawn strength and inspiration from one another: two women in this extraordinary situation in life, both with the same bizarre destiny,”.

“At the moment I think it is Camilla who is the lynchpin of the monarchy. And with the cancer that has afflicted both Charles and Catherine, it has fallen to Camilla to keep the show on the road. And I think she has gained enormously in confidence and her character and wicked sense of humour now shine through more than ever.”

Princess of Wales has shown nothing but strength and resolve – as she continues to draw huge admiration (Image: 2024 Karwai Tang)

Jennie further opined, “I don’t really think Catherine showed her the way on this, but I think there is a mutual respect about how they are both helping to make the monarchy more relatable.”

Emerging from Prince William’s shadow, Kate has blossomed into a figurehead of charity and motherhood, earning the reputation of a modern Royal matriarch. Royal commentator Jennie insists this transformative journey for Kate is well-deserved and draws parallels between her exertion of “soft power” and the influence wielded by Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, the beloved great-grandmother of Prince William.

Jennie previously told OK! Magazine: “People always used to describe the Queen Mother as ‘steel in a velvet glove’. She was always charming, gentle and much admired. But, she was also the strength behind her husband, George Vl, and at the Palace her opinion counted. I think Kate has some of those same qualities.”

“She has learned the craft of being royal over a number of years and earned her place as a senior member of the family. Gradually, she has also earned the respect of the public and, I believe, of the rest of the family. We look at her now not just as William’s wife, but as our future Queen.”

There have been several instances where the Princess of Wales’ quiet determination to uphold the Royal Family’s reputation has come to light. Following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, it was suggested that Kate played a pivotal role in the famous “recollections may vary” statement issued by Buckingham Palace.

According to Valentine Low’s book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind The Crown, the initial draft of the Buckingham Palace statement did not contain the explosive “recollections” phrase.

In his book, Low cites a source who stated, “It had a much milder version. The debate was, do you rise entirely above it and offer the olive branch of [Harry and Meghan being] ‘much loved members of the family’? Or is there some moment when you have to intervene and offer a view? ”

Both Prince William and Kate Middleton reportedly desired a stronger statement. An insider revealed, “They were both of one mind that we needed something that said that the institution did not accept a lot of what had been said.” Once the phrase was incorporated, it was the Duchess who, as per another source, insisted on its retention.