It’s the ultimate “special relationship” since Kate became part of the Royal Family exactly 13 years ago on Monday.
We’ve seen a comforting glance here and there, warm smiles and affectionate greetings, a name check and a wink in formal speeches.
But this week, the enormous esteem that King Charles has for his daughter-in-law, the one who lives on this side of the Atlantic, received a very public seal of approval.
On Tuesday, Charles inducted Kate into the Order of the Companions of Honor, making history in the process.
The Princess of Wales is the first member of the Royal Family to belong to this select group since the organization was founded by King George V in 1917.
Kate and Charles hug at the premiere of No Time To Die at the Royal Albert Hall in London, in 2021
The couple found themselves together at the same hospital, the London Clinic in Marylebone, with reports suggesting the King had ‘walked’ from his ward to Kate’s to make sure she was okay.
She is in good company. The 65 members, drawn from the arts, science and medicine, include JK Rowling, Dame Maggie Smith, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir David Attenborough and Elton John.
Wow!
A keen amateur photographer, Kate is a patron of the Royal Photographic Society, the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
But this honor is a reward for more than just his efforts in the arts: it’s about the great respect the King has for our future queen.
We saw a hint of tenderness between them during last fall’s state visit to Kenya, when Charles referred to Kate as his “beloved daughter-in-law.”
Camilla, Charles, William and Kate smile in their best at the reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps at Buckingham Palace in 2023.
A keen amateur photographer, Kate is a patron of the Royal Photographic Society, the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
This year it was discovered with surprise that both the King and the Princess had to undergo cancer treatment.
Partners in adversity, they found themselves in the same hospital, the London Clinic in Marylebone, with reports suggesting that the King had “walked” in his dressing gown from his room to hers to make sure she was “okay”.
It is no surprise then that they are said to have become closer than ever.
The King invited Kate to lunch in Windsor last month, the day after she recorded the moving video message to the nation revealing her cancer diagnosis.
Charles told his daughter-in-law that he was “proud” of her bravery, according to The Times.
Such an intimate and reassuring moment would surely have helped her cope with her understandable trepidation about the next day’s broadcast.
I imagine Welsh homes are packed with cards and flowers at the moment from well-wishers, so the King must have been racking his brain to think of a different kind of gesture.
The King invited Kate to lunch in Windsor last month, the day after she recorded the moving video message to the nation revealing her cancer diagnosis.
This honor is a smart and intuitive choice.
It’s something that will inspire Kate for the future and the work she can do in an area that is important to her: supporting budding photographers everywhere, in war zones, in fashion, in the news.
And he also shows us the gift he already has, and in spades: the love and support of a generous and understanding father-in-law.
What could be better than that close but non-judgmental, non-pressure friendship as Kate recovers from the past few months of illness and stress?
Of course, she has a father and a brother, as well as a loving husband in William. But these three men are, in some ways, too close.
Kate, a born caregiver, will have tried to protect them from their darkest fears in recent months, wanting to protect them.
Kate and Charles have a simple and fun relationship. They will have shared their fears, their experience in the hospital, but they both look outside.
With Charles it’s different. He’s not aloof, but he can certainly be pragmatic. He is also someone who is going through the experience of cancer.
There is a simple and fun relationship, which helps. Yes, they will have shared their fears, their experience in the hospital, but they both look outside.
Let’s not forget that the King is a source of wisdom in all things “Prince of Wales”, offering information on how to calm and soothe, dizzy and help calm your husband.
Kate, in turn, is a kind of conduit between two men who can both be stubborn.
The whole family should be grateful for his iron stoicism in the face of Megxit and his intelligent diplomacy.
Kate is said to have even helped ensure that ‘Recollections May Vary’, a nugget of brilliance, was included in the Queen’s response to Meghan’s interview with Oprah.
Charles can be sure that, as queen, his daughter-in-law will handle any future conflict with aplomb.
And what underpins all of this is Kate’s immense respect for the man she calls grandfather, the man for whom she is said to reserve her deepest bows.
Maybe she’s the daughter I wish I’d had.
Kate has never been a fussy princess. She has no hard edges or resentments, she is very easy to be around. That easy, tactile way with her children seems to have rubbed off, making Charles soft and tactile with his grandchildren.
It makes me wonder if I wish I were closer to Harry and Meghan’s children, thousands of miles away in California.
A cancer diagnosis certainly puts disputes into perspective.
And so does the love and respect between King Charles and his daughter-in-law that we have seen recognized in recent days.
I imagine Kate is grinning from ear to ear, eager to get back to work, get stuck in, and repay the honor.
What a boost!