Prince George, Charlotte and Louis set to be 'significant part' of mum Kate Middleton's recovery

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are set to be a "significant part" of Catherine, Princess of Wales’s recovery, according to a royal expert.

Following the Princess of Wales's deeply personal message sharing that she had started treatment for cancer, fans have been treated to two adorable pictures taken by the mum-of-three. Despite speculation over whether she would still share family snaps, Prince Louis’s sweet sixth birthday photo and Princess Charlotte’s ninth birthday photo were both released.

Amidst her treatment, it seems Kate is determined to uphold special family traditions on her children’s birthdays. According to the BBC’s former royal correspondent Jennie Bond this is likely to be incredibly important to her.

Getting candid with OK!, Jennie expressed her belief that Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are all set to be a "significant part" of Kate’s recovery as she focuses on keeping daily life "normal" for them at Adelaide Cottage.

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"Hopefully Kate is getting her strength back more every day and she will be able to concentrate on making Charlotte’s birthday as magical as possible in the circumstances," she said. "She’ll make sure all the attention is on her daughter, and not on her. And that’s quite a healthy approach. Dwelling on illness doesn’t help anyone, so the children will be a significant part of Kate’s recovery."

Jennie went on to claim that Prince William and Kate "are making every effort" to "keep things as normal as possible" for George, Charlotte and Louis’s sake.

She said, "They don’t want Kate’s diagnosis to overshadow their lives and want their happiness to very much be their priority. Even though it will be a school day, I’m sure William and Kate will celebrate Charlotte’s birthday on Thursday in Windsor with her friends as usual and make it as special as possible."

The royal expert is also "certain" that the Wales kids "will have been bringing Kate some much needed distraction and laughter at this tough time" too. Her suggestion that they’ll be "significant part" of Kate’s recovery as she tries to "keep things" relatively normal for them could be seen to echo the sentiment of her poignant video message. 

In it, the Princess of Wales spoke about how important it was for her to have the space to tell her children about her diagnosis in an "appropriate" way and asked for privacy for their family.

"It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment, but most importantly it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte, and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them and to reassure them that I’m going to be OK," she declared. "As I’ve said to them, I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal in my mind, body, and spirits."

Kate went on, "We hope that you’ll understand that as a family we now need some time, space, and privacy while I complete my treatment."

In recent months the Wales family haven’t been seen in public as they spend time together away from the royal spotlight, though Prince William has been undertaking solo engagements. Kate’s decision to take and post Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte’s birthday photos as usual could perhaps showcase her desire to focus on her loved ones and things that bring her joy at such a difficult time.