King Charles broke royal protocol with poignant five-word message to Kate Middleton
There is nothing like a shared experience to bring two people even closer together. Without a doubt, King Charles and the Princess of Wales will have found strength in each other as they confront their own respective health battles.
That bond has never been more in evidence than at Trooping the Colour in mid-June. In a break with protocol, King Charles arranged for his “darling daughter-in-law” to stand next to him as the family gathered on the Buckingham Palace balcony to wave to the crowds. Their closeness was clear to see as Kate whispered something to Charles, making him laugh before the National Anthem was played.
Last year, Charles stood next to his son William, the Prince of Wales. The change of order was viewed as a mark of respect for Kate and an acknowledgment that she had chosen his official birthday to return to the public eye.
Former royal butler Grant Harrold exclusively told OK!, “It is changing protocol to show the King and Kate united with each other and going through similar battles, so I would say this is down to the King’s preference. The balcony [line-up] is orchestrated, so I have a feeling the King said to Kate, ‘You stand next to me.’”
The timing of the pair’s illnesses has been eerily similar. In January, both Kate and Charles were treated in the same hospital, the London Clinic, at the same time and were able to offer reassurance to one another in the early stages of their treatment. Then, the announcement of their cancer diagnoses came just a month apart, Charles’ in February and Kate’s in March.
After Kate’s public video message on 22 March, in which she revealed her diagnosis to the world, the King released a statement saying that he was “so proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did”. It added that the King was in “the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law” and that both he and Queen Camilla “continue to offer their love and support to the whole family through this difficult time”.
