Kate Middleton & King Charles' Close Bond Might Be A Bigger Problem Than Anyone Realized

Just like any other family, the House of Windsor has its fair share of internal tensions. And if you ask just about any stand-up comedian, few familial relationships are as tense as those between an outside party and their partner's parents. To be fair, it's not exactly uncommon to dread meeting one's in-laws for the first time; it's typically a pretty high-stress, high-stakes situation. Fortunately, when it comes to the royal family, Catherine, Princess of Wales, reportedly has a wonderful relationship with her father-in-law, King Charles III. But while that's a great thing in a vacuum, given the alleged tension involving their respective spouses, the duo's close bond could prove troublesome behind the scenes.

At the time of writing, Charles and his eldest son Prince William — Kate's Middleton's husband — are reportedly on the outs due to the king allegedly meeting with estranged younger son Prince Harry against William's wishes. Meanwhile, both William and Kate reportedly have a rather messy relationship with Queen Camilla, William's stepmother and Charles' wife, too. Speaking to Us Weekly in 2024, royal biographer Christopher Andersen claimed that Camilla was initially aghast at William and Kate's romance, as she didn't believe the future princess was upper-class enough. 

A separate source further dished to Us later that very same year that Camilla wasn't keen on passing her queenly duties onto Kate when the time came either. And, of course, though they apparently have a better relationship now, there's always been a bit of tension between William and Camilla, stemming from the Prince of Wales' loyalty to Princess Diana, whom Charles cheated on with his future wife. All that in mind, the fact that Kate and Charles get along famously probably isn't making those family dinners any less awkward.

The added tension and awkwardness that it may or may not cause in this specific instance notwithstanding, being welcomed into your partner's family is always a beautiful thing. And while Queen Camilla reportedly had her doubts about commoner Kate Middleton at first, King Charles III apparently held his arms open to welcome his heir's wife. "He has always had a very good bond with her," royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith confirmed during a 2024 chat with People. She took things a step further by adding, "I don't think it is presumptuous to say that she is like the daughter he never had." Smith also noted that he "shares with William an impulse to protect her. They are in this together, Kate and the king."

But you don't just have to take Smith's word for it. Charles himself made his feelings about Kate abundantly clear while recalling her engagement to his son during a state banquet in Kenya back in 2023. "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," Charles gushed at the glitzy event (via People). That admiration also clearly goes both ways, as we witnessed in September 2025, when the royal family attended the funeral of Duchess Katharine, the late wife of Prince Edward (that is, the late Queen Elizabeth II's cousin, not Charles' own brother). 

Following the church service, the Princess of Wales sweetly gave her father-in-law kisses on each of his cheeks, as well as curtsied to him. So, yeah, we're going to go out on a limb here and say that Kate has a favorite parent-in-law (and William is probably relieved too).