'The Daughter He Never Had': Co-Occurring Cancer Battles Make King Charles and Princess Kate Feel 'Less Alone'

King Charles III and his daughter-in-law, Kate, Princess of Wales, are both battling cancer following routine surgical procedures in early 2024. What neither likely knew beforehand is how these alarming health scares have brought them closer together.

"Kate would have been there for Charles no matter what, of course, but now when she finds something that gives her comfort, like a new hand cream or comfy bathrobe or a new TV show that she thinks is hysterical and takes her mind off of everything, she makes sure to share it with Charles," a palace insider spilled.

Another source stepped up and shared: "Kate is the daughter that Charles never had, and they have never been closer than they are right now. Going through this cancer journey together has brought them together in a way that they never expected, but is much appreciated by both of them."

Although the differences in their cases are stark — Kate is only 42 to Charles III's 75; HRH's cancer treatments are preventative compared to HM's active disease battle — insiders and experts alike agree that the "life-altering" diagnoses awakened a "deep bond" between the two.

"He's not a father figure as such — she’s got her own dad to whom she's absolutely devoted — but you could say the king treats her like the daughter he never had," a report published on Saturday, March 23, stated. "You see it in the pictures of them together. That relationship is best summed up in those fascinating moments when she greets him first with a kiss and then with a curtsy."

"It is highly unusual for just the two of them to sit down together like this," a third source revealed when discussing a reported lunch meeting between the future queen and her Sovereign on Thursday, March 21. "The King had already been made aware that the woman he calls 'my beloved daughter-in-law' had cancer. They would have had lots to discuss and share because just weeks earlier the King had begun his course of treatment and dealt with announcing his diagnosis. The King left his lunch feeling very emotional."

"His Majesty is so proud of Catherine for her courage and speaking as she did. Following their time in hospital together, His Majesty has remained in the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law throughout the past weeks," Buckingham Palace shared in a statement on Friday, March 22. "Both Their Majesties will continue to offer their love and support to the whole family throughout this difficult time."

Although she will never meet her mother-in-law, a Wales family friend also opined that Diana, Princess of Wales, "would also likely be immensely proud of Catherine's stoicism and courage in the face of dire adversity."

Closer reported on the insider revelations.