On March 11, 2024, in Westminster Abbey, Prince William and Queen Camilla appear more complicit than ever on the occasion of Commonwealth Day. A special day for the British and which this year takes on an even more special character as it celebrates its 75th anniversary. Despite the celebrations, hearts are not in celebration, due to the two major absentees of the day. King Charles III continues his treatment for cancer and is forced to rest. Princess Kate is officially recovering from her abdominal surgery. No one knows it yet, but she is actually undergoing chemotherapy following a tumor. Only the members of the “Firm” know the truth, and display a closed face.
Tensions eased
With unparalleled dignity, the heir to the throne and his mother-in-law, crowned queen alongside Charles in May 2023, stand together. The theme of the day sums up their union more than ever: “A resilient common future: Transforming our common wealth”. If the story between Camilla and Prince William was punctuated by tensions – for a long time, she was considered the troublemaker in the couple that Charles, then Prince of Wales, formed with Princess Diana – things seem to have calmed down since several years : “William accepts that it is time to put the past behind him and look to the future for his family, and Camilla is a non-negotiable part of that. Additionally, he has learned to admire her steadfastness and loyalty, and he even begins to trust him” explains a source to the Now to Love site in May 2022.
It was even the queen who, in the shadows, worked to arrange relations between the sovereign and his elder, who often criticized him for having favored his monarchical duties over those of a father: “She put family back at the heart of her priorities. I think William in particular is grateful to her, because Charles now takes more time for his grandchildren” analyzes the English expert on royalty Katie Nicholls in Vanity Fair UK. In this troubled period, they seem alone on board the royal ship, but William now knows that he can count on his mother-in-law, while waiting to find his father and his wife in good health.