EXCLUSIVE: How Kate Middleton's 'Now Unbreakable' Bond With King Charles is Set to Rock the Monarchy
Kate Middleton's new unbreakable bond with King Charles may shake the monarchy up.
Sept. 26 2025, Published 7:00 p.m. ET
Kate Middleton's relationship with King Charles is stronger than ever – but insiders tell RadarOnline.com their closeness may be unsettling others within the royal household.
The Princess of Wales, 43, has been widely praised for her composure during a year of personal and institutional turbulence, and palace aides say she has become one of the king's most trusted allies. Yet with tensions already running high between Charles, 76, and his eldest son Prince William, 43, as well as long-standing unease with Queen Camilla, 78, the dynamic risks creating further fault lines.
King Charles Sees Kate Middleton As The Daughter He Never Had
Insiders said Charles spoke of Middleton as the daughter he never had.
One courtier claimed: "Charles depends on Catherine more than most realize. He values her composure, her sense of discretion, and her steadiness. He has even spoken of her as the daughter he never had. But such closeness isn't coming without consequences – it stirs unease in other quarters."
The strain comes amid a delicate period for the monarchy. Earlier this year, Charles met his younger son, Prince Harry, 41, in London for the first time in 19 months.
Harry's estranged older brother William was said to be deeply unhappy about the encounter, which took place against his wishes, and relations between the brothers remain at rock bottom.
Uneasy Ties with Camilla
Camilla once dismissed Middleton as not worthy of the royal family.
At the same time, William and Middleton's relationship with Camilla has long been described as "complicated."
Royal biographer Christopher Andersen previously said Camilla once dismissed Middleton as "not worthy" for the royal family due to her upper-middle-class background and questioned her suitability to become Queen.
Another insider claimed Camilla was uneasy about the prospect of eventually handing ceremonial responsibilities to her step-daughter-in-law.
A royal source said: "The reality is that Camilla never pictured Catherine as the one carrying the crown forward."
Public Signs of Affection
Middleton greeted Charles warmly with kisses and a curtsey at a royal funeral.
Charles, however, has consistently signaled his admiration for the princess.
In a 2023 state banquet speech in Kenya, he recalled William's proposal to her in the country more than a decade earlier, saying, "It was here, in sight of Mount Kenya, that my son, the Prince of Wales, proposed to his wife, now my beloved daughter-in-law."
Observers noted Middleton has reciprocated that affection in public gestures.
At the recent funeral of Duchess Katharine of Kent, she greeted Charles warmly with kisses on both cheeks before curtseying – a moment seen as emblematic of their rapport.
A senior aide said: "Charles clearly draws strength from Catherine. The way she has handled the demands of royal duty has won his lasting admiration. But her growing influence inside the palace is obvious – and that makes some people uneasy."
Growing Influence Sparks Unease
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Charles praised Middleton in a state banquet speech in Kenya.
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 now 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."
