Have the ever-shifting dynamics between the key players in the British royal family actually changed all that much lately? King Charles and Prince Harry met again, for the first time in over a year, indicating that the feud might be closer to being put to rest. But now there are reports of a strain in the relationship between Kate Middleton and Queen Camilla, not to mention Prince William and the Queen. But where does King Charles stand in all of this?

According to RadarOnline.com, his relationship with Kate Middleton is as strong as ever. Palace aides say she has become one of the King’s most trusted allies, in what has been a very complicated year for both. “Charles depends on Catherine more than most realize,” one claimed. “He values her composure, her sense of discretion, and her steadiness. He has even spoken of her as the daughter he never had. But such closeness isn’t coming without consequences – it stirs unease in other quarters.”

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To make things worse, all of this comes at a moment of heightened tension, after Queen Camilla reportedly brushed Kate Middleton away during a conversation with first lady Melania Trump during the recent state visit by the US President and first lady. “Things were strained backstage, a source told RadarOnline. All eyes were on Kate, and Camilla was clearly aware of that. She was furious that the attention had slipped away from her and knew people would gossip about it later.”

“It may have looked minor, but Kate took it as being sidelined,” the source added. “After all the effort she has put into proving herself as the future of the monarchy, it was deeply humiliating.”

But this isn’t a new problem. The relationship between Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Queen Camilla has long been described as complicated, according to the outlet. Royal biographer Christopher Andersen once said that the Queen referred to Middleton as “not worthy” for the royal family because of her upper-middle-class background and questioned whether she was suitable to become Queen, with other insiders claiming Queen Camilla wasn’t comfortable with the idea of handing responsibilities to Middleton.

A royal source said: “The reality is that Camilla never pictured Catherine as the one carrying the crown forward.”

King Charles, however, has always made a point in public to make his affection clear. In a 2023 state banquet speech in Kenya, he spoke about William’s proposal, saying, “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.”

A senior aide said about the relationship between the King and the Princess of Wales, “Charles clearly draws strength from Catherine. The way she has handled the demands of royal duty has won his lasting admiration. But her growing influence inside the palace is obvious – and that makes some people uneasy.”

“Catherine now sits at the heart of three key relationships – with William, with the King, and with the Queen,” another source added, “Two of those are thriving, one clearly is not. That imbalance is bound to shape the monarchy’s future.”

Worth keeping an eye on it, for sure.

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