Kate Middleton marked the next stage of her return to royal duties earlier this week, when she and Prince William joined the King and Queen at Crathie Kirk in Balmoral while they continued their annual stay in Scotland.The decision to travel to their beloved retreat, which came after Kate, 42, revealed she had completed her chemotherapy treatment, was unexpected but ultimately an encouraging surprise, a leading royal expert says. “I must admit, I was quite surprised to see William and Catherine back up in Balmoral so soon,” former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond exclusively tells OK! “We don’t know whether they had the children with them, but their visit underlines how important they feel it is to spend time with Charles.
It’s been a few weeks since they’ve been together and I’m sure William in particular feels he wants to stay in close touch with his papa – particularly as the King continues his cancer treatment.” Of course, this close father and son relationship isn’t the only one which will have been a balm to the monarch over the past nine months.
Quite apart from the fact that both the King, 75, and Kate were diagnosed with cancer at a similar time, their bond supersedes that, with Charles frequently referring to Kate as his “darling daughter-in-law”.
Reflecting on what these ties will have meant for the pair, Jennie says, “Catherine and Charles have a really special relationship, which has undoubtedly been made even stronger by their common experience of cancer.