“PROUD OF YOU” – King Charles Quietly Breaks Royal Protocol for ‘Beloved Daughter’ Catherine at Trooping the Colour – The Heartwarming Moment You Missed!
Royal Expert Says King Charles Views Kate Middleton as a “Huge Asset” and Gave Her a “Powerful” Trooping the Colour Role

Royal fans were delighted by Kate Middleton’s appearance at Trooping the Colour on June 14, 2025, particularly as her aquamarine Catherine Walker coat dress channeled Princess Diana in the best way. Now, a royal expert has suggested King Charles’s respect for his daughter-in-law was also on display at Trooping the Colour.

Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond discussed Princess Kate’s position during the Trooping the Colour parade, which saw her sitting with King Charles and Queen Camilla to watch proceedings. “I thought it was highly significant to see Catherine on the dais alongside The King and Queen,” Bond told the Mirror, via GB News. “She was there not only as a very senior member of the Royal Family but as Colonel in Chief of the Irish Guards as they marched by.”

Elaborating on the importance of Princess Kate being seated alongside Charles and Camilla, Bond said, “It was a very powerful image of our next Queen alongside her father-in-law who has made no secret of the respect he has for Catherine, especially after the cancer journey they have shared.”

Kate’s husband, Prince William, and their three children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—were seated elsewhere with other members of the Royal Family.

Princess Kate sits alongside King Charles and Queen Camilla

The former royal correspondent also told the Express, “Catherine now has a shared experience with The King that neither wanted, but which has brought them closer than ever…Cancer, the great leveler, is something they have been going through together, and it has made their relationship curiously unique.”

The Royal Family on the Buckingham Palace balcony for Trooping the Colour.

(Image credit: Getty Images)
Princess Kate’s elevated position, as evidenced by Trooping the Colour in 2025, reveals how Charles really feels about his daughter-in-law, says Bond. “The King knows what a huge asset Catherine is to the monarchy and how important she is to William,” the royal expert explained. “I think there is genuine affection between them. He must be so proud and happy to know that his son has a wife who will support and love him…just as Camilla supports and loves Charles. It bodes well for the future.”

Kate Middleton at Trooping the Colour on June 14, 2025.

It was a moment of quiet strength. Sitting tall in the open carriage at Trooping the Colour on June 14, Kate Middleton smiled at the thousands lining the Mall. She didn’t say a word, but the message was unmistakable.

Just a year ago, Kate, 43, had taken part in the same ceremony while undergoing chemotherapy for an undisclosed form of cancer, her role more limited as she focused on healing. This time, she was present at every turn, including a significant appearance on the parade ground alongside King Charles, 76, and Queen Camilla, 77, fulfilling her role as honorary Colonel of the Irish Guards.

“She projected the confidence of someone who has enthusiastically reconnected with her public duties,” royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue.

After an intensely challenging year — one that brought a devastating diagnosis and relentless speculation about her health even before she had the chance to tell her and Prince William’s children — Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7 — Kate is focused on the road ahead.

“She has not been able to have the privacy that a person who faces this kind of illness is normally afforded,” says a source close to the royal household.

But with her public announcement in September that she was done with chemotherapy, followed by news in January that she’s in remission, this summer marks her first stretch of true respite.

Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte on June 14, 2025.Neil Mockford/Getty
“She gets so much sustenance in nature, and she’s lucky to have homes in some of the most beautiful parts of Britain: in Norfolk and on the Windsor estate,” says Queen Elizabeth’s former spokeswoman Ailsa Anderson. “She’ll be able to reenergize herself.”

As Kate and William emerge from their most difficult chapter, the princess is carefully pacing herself. “She’s being sensible, listening to what her body is telling her and easing back into public life,” Anderson says.

Still, challenges loom. The shadow of King Charles’s cancer diagnosis, which aides now describe as a “managed” condition, means that Kate, William and their inner circle are preparing for an inevitable transition.

“There are some major shifts coming behind the scenes,” a friend tells PEOPLE. With their future roles as King and Queen drawing closer, the couple are focused on building a trusted team of top advisers. “They are really finessing what works and what doesn’t,” the friend adds.

But Kate, like William, is ready for what lies ahead. Bedell Smith, who has written extensively about Charles and the late Queen Elizabeth, recalls a saying from Elizabeth’s mother, the Queen Mother: that the position of monarch — and of their consort — is “a vocation, not a role.” It’s a fitting description for Kate, who in recent years has embraced her duties with a new level of professionalism and purpose.

Kate has also shown profound solidarity with families facing cancer, sharing parts of her own journey with those going through similar battles. Last October, she and William gave teen photographer Liz Hatton — who was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive abdominal sarcoma called desmoplastic small round cell tumor — the chance to fulfill a bucket-list dream by photographing an event at Windsor Castle.

Since Liz’s death at 17 in November, Kate has remained a steadfast support for her family. “It shows that cancer can touch any of us,” says Liz’s mother, Vicky Robayna, reflecting on Kate’s diagnosis and the deep connection the princess formed with her family, especially her 9-year-old son Mateo. “It felt like walking into an extended family and having arms wrapped around you.”