Prince William has grown far closer to Queen Camilla in recent weeks according to one well-connected royal commentator, as the pair battle together to "nurse" the Crown in the absence of the King and Princess Kate.
With His Majesty having scaled back engagements while he undergoes cancer treatment and the Princess of Wales recovering from abdominal surgery, it has been largely up to the Queen Consort and the future monarch to pick up the royal workload.
Both Camilla and William have deputised for the King while continuing to undertake their own engagements.
And it's believed that the circumstances have led to a special bond growing between the pair.
"Recent events have obviously brought William and Camilla much closer.
"They have been left, almost literally, nursing the Crown while the King and the Princess recover," according to Jennie Bond, who worked for fourteen years as the BBC's royal correspondent.
Queen Camilla and Prince William are thought to have grown closer in recent weeks
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"Their teams will be working more closely to co-ordinate diaries and cover the engagements that have been planned, and Camilla and William are bound to have been in much closer regular contact."
Speaking to Ok! Magazine, she added: "Apart from the business side of things, I’m sure they will have been an emotional help to one another as well.
"Both will have been so worried about these unexpected health issues and I imagine they will have shared their concerns."
William has previously been described as having an "uneasy" relationship with his step-mother, torn between his love for his mother, Diana, and his desire to see his father's happiness.
After years of being uncomfortable, it is thought the frostiness he felt towards the now Queen Consort thawed considerably in 2005 when she married his father in 2005.
While the pair grew closer over the years, Bond says that the last few months have led to an even stronger special bond between William and Camilla as they battle together to keep up with the events marked in the Royal Family's diary.
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The Queen led the Royal Family at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey earlier this week
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Prince William and Queen Camilla have both deputised for the King in recent weeks
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"The Prince knows now that she is the love of his father's life," she said.
"I think there is now a real warmth and affection between Camilla and William - both putting on a brave face to the world and getting on with their jobs when I am sure they would rather be at home tending to their partners and/or children."
Earlier this month the Queen even took a holiday abroad, enjoying a well deserved week off after having picked up extra workload in order to cover for her husband.
She travelled for a holiday overseas via a private flight on March 4 before returning in order to resume engagements earlier this week when she led the Royal Family at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.
Queen Camilla even took a holiday earlier this month to recover after carrying out so many public engagements
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King Charles is said to have wanted to ensure that his wife was not 'exhausted"
PAAt the time, royal author Ingrid Seward said that the King will have wanted his wife to take a break in order to recuperate from her busy schedule.
"He will see that she is exhausted," she told The Sun on Sunday.
"Camilla has had the ultimate worry about her husband's health, but she has also been the one who has had to step up to the busy schedule of royal engagements as well as wanting to be there for him and Kate while they each have had their health issues."
Kate is expected to return to some public duties after Easter at the end of this month, while the King is expected to have a scaled back diary for a number of months yet while he continues to undergo treatment.
