KATE Middleton helped heal Prince William’s supposed rocky relationship with his dad by organising a portrait for Prince Charles’ 70th birthday, it has been reported.
Kate, 39, is said to have got the Royal family together for the milestone photo shoot in 2018 – in spite of hurdles like Harry and Wills’ fallout at the time.
The Duchess of Cambridge helped make the occasion happen and made sure her kids were all smiles for the camera, the Daily Mail reports.
She has also encouraged Charles to visit their home, Anmer Hall, and last summer reportedly made sure her family was back in time from their holiday to the Isles of Scilly to coincide with Charles’s stay.
The mum-of-three is said to have made sure “Grandpa” could give his birthday presents to seven-year-old George.
She also took an intimate picture of Charles resting his head on her husband’s shoulder during a countryside walk last winter – a photograph released by Clarence House for William’s birthday last June.
Charles is also said to have spent time with the Cambridges on country walks at the start of this month, when at Sandringham for estate business.
Together they share a love of the outdoors, and Charles and William are said to enjoy identifying wild birds to Wills’ kids.
But until now, it is understood the father and son have had their difficulties.
William, 38, is reported to have previously preferred spending time focusing on his own life in Norfolk rather than with his dad, who lives four hours away in Gloucestershire.
And two years ago, when William was asked to appear in a TV documentary celebrating his dad’s work for the Duchy of Cornwall, an aide said the Duke of Cambridge was “not doing anything more for his father”.
The comment may have suggested a rivalry between the two men and there was talk that William sometimes felt his dad “used” his family’s popularity to improve his own image.
The Duke of Cambridge is said to have been unhappy when Charles, 72, issued an official photo of himself featuring framed pictures of his grandkids in the background.
He was also reportedly concerned when Charles’s aides told the media his gardens at Highgrove had been turned into a “toddler’s paradise” for the then two-year-old George, with a specially refurbished treehouse.
But the pair’s relationship is since said to have improved.
It has been helped by the fallout from Prince Andrew’s car crash Newsnight interview about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, and Harry and Meghan’s decision to quit Royal life – both things which are believed to have brought the father and son closer together.
One royal insider told the Mail: “He’s giving William much more input. He realises that his own reign will be a shorter one than his son’s, and therefore it is crucial that William is involved in all long-term planning.
“They have been spending more time together and are much more aligned. Both are more comfortable in their own skin – and with each other.”