The unexpected royal that Prince William 'can trust absolutely' as they grow 'closer' amid challenging times

Prince William is said to count Queen Camilla as one of the "few people" he can "trust absolutely" according to a royal expert, who believes they've grown "closer".

The start to 2024 has been an incredibly challenging one personally for both Prince William and Queen Camilla following the news of King Charles’s cancer diagnosis in February and the recent announcement that the Princess of Wales is undergoing cancer treatment. With neither His Majesty or Kate currently undertaking public-facing duties, the Prince of Wales and Queen have been stepping up and continuing with their schedule of engagements. 

Representing the monarchy publicly whilst so much is going on behind closed doors surely can’t be easy and royal expert Jennie Bond believes the current situation has likely brought them "much closer".

Queen Consort: The Life of Queen Camilla by Penny Junor | Was £9.99, Now £7.26 at Amazon

Penny Junor explores the life of Britain's Queen Consort in this intimate biography previously published as The Duchess. She reflects how King Charles and Queen Camilla's extraordinary relationship has endured against the odds and why His Majesty went against other people's opinions to have her by his side.

View Deal

The BBC’s former royal correspondent has expressed her belief to OK! that Queen Camilla and Prince William could be confiding in each other at this difficult time as King Charles and Kate receive treatment.

"Times of adversity often bring people much closer together. For all the progress that has been made in cancer treatment, it is still a scary thing," Jennie claimed. "And while Camilla and William put on a brave face for the world (and no doubt for their spouses too), there may be times when they confide in one another about how they are dealing with it all."

The royal expert reflected upon Prince William’s words following Queen Elizabeth’s death when he described how his grandmother had been at his side at "the happiest moments" as well as the "saddest days" of his life.

Jennie suggested that Queen Camilla is "sharing some of those times" with her stepson and that this "must surely cement their relationship" which she believes is now likely to be one of huge trust. 

She declared, "There are so very few people that a senior royal can trust absolutely… and Camilla must now be one of that number for William. And I’m sure it is a two-way street with William offering moral support to Camilla as well."

Queen Camilla's position as a trusted confidante to her stepson is something that is especially heart-warming and perhaps slightly unexpected in the eyes of some fans, as Jennie claimed that Prince William "took his time to accept" her when he was younger. Despite the Prince of Wales's feelings towards the Queen reportedly being "complicated" at first, the expert thinks that the future King "knows now that she is the love" of King Charles’s life.

With their relationship perhaps stronger than ever amid "adversity", Queen Camilla and Prince William came together and led the Royal Family at the Commonwealth Day service in March in King Charles’s absence. The King and Queen then stepped out together to attend the traditional royal Easter Sunday church service at Windsor Castle, marking His Majesty’s first major public appearance since Christmas. 

The Prince and Princess of Wales weren’t there this year and they perhaps simply wanted to spend time with Prince George, Charlotte and Louis away from the public gaze and scrutiny after Kate bravely shared the news of her own diagnosis.

Her poignant video message came after months of intense speculation circulating online alongside concern from fans. In it, she explained how she’d been telling her three children that she is "well and getting stronger everyday" and asked for "space" and "privacy" for her and her family.

"We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment," the Princess of Wales powerfully declared.