The sweet bond between Prince William and his mother-in-law, Carole Middleton, was on full display on the second day of Royal Ascot yesterday—including the Prince of Wales swooping in and helping Carole avoid a potentially embarrassing fall after her heel got stuck in the grass at the annual staple in the royal diary.

Missing—perhaps not surprisingly—was the Princess of Wales, who did make a surprise appearance at last Saturday’s Trooping the Colour, but who is not fully back to work, though she did say in a statement released last Friday that she hopes to join some royal events this summer (though she didn’t specify which ones).

As far back as William and Kate’s engagement interview in 2010, William expressed affection for the Middletons—and it’s believed that Kate’s extremely close-knit birth family of five is one of the many reasons William was attracted to her in the first place when they began dating in the early aughts. (In addition to her mother Carole, Kate is extremely close to her father Michael and younger siblings Pippa and James.) “Kate’s got a very, very close family,” William said back in 2010, per Hello. “I get on really well with them, and I’m very lucky that they’ve been so supportive. Mike and Carole have been really loving and caring and really fun and have been really welcoming towards me, so I’ve felt really a part of the family—and I hope that Kate’s felt the same with my family.”

Yesterday’s appearance at Royal Ascot marked the first time that Carole and Michael had been seen publicly since last December, when they attended Kate’s Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey. Since then, it has been tumultuous, with Kate being diagnosed with cancer at the top of the year and the rampant public speculation that surrounded her absence from public life. Carole—who lives at Bucklebury Manor at Berkshire—has been spotted in unofficial capacities in 2024, though sparingly; she was photographed driving Kate through Windsor back in March, fresh on the heels of the infamous Photogate scandal, and at a pub with William in April. Carole also spent the Easter holidays with the Wales family of five (William and Kate and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis) at their country home, Anmer Hall, in Norfolk.

At day two of Royal Ascot yesterday, The Daily Mail reports that “Carole was seen having her very own Cinderella moment, as her foot slipped out of her heel, which was left behind in the ground—but luckily she had a charming prince on hand.” Enter William, who rescued his mother-in-law from a potentially embarrassing fall; The Daily Mail adds that “The pair were seen laughing off the incident as they walked off together and joined other guests.” (Rebecca English of The Daily Mail took to X—formerly known as Twitter—to call the Prince of Wales a “true gentleman.”) The outlet writes that “William looked delighted that his wife’s parents were enjoying a day out at the races,” as this period has, no doubt, been impossibly difficult on them, too. To the world, she’s the Princess of Wales, but to Carole and Michael? That’s their kid.

“They are the unsung heroes of the current period, eschewing the limelight but undoubtedly making a very significant contribution at such a difficult time for the Wales family,” royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said, per The Daily Mail. “As we rejoice that Catherine made such a stunning success at her first official appearance in six months at Trooping the Colour, spare a thought for her parents, who have undoubtedly helped her and her family so much during this stressful period.”

Though Kate wasn’t physically present at Royal Ascot, Carole channeled her eldest daughter in her own outfit: a light blue floral Self-Portrait dress, reminiscent of an Elie Saab look Kate wore, also to Royal Ascot, in 2019. (Kate is also a fan of Self-Portrait.) Carole’s outfit featured a bow, pleated detailing, and was paired with a matching light blue fascinator featuring a statement flower, a pair of dark blue heels, and Emily Mortimer Electra Gold Sky and London Blue Topaz earrings.

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Body language expert Judi James told The Sun that Carole and William’s interaction yesterday signals a “maternal” and “supportive bond,” and added that William looks “relaxed” in her company—and that it’s clear they are “a very relaxed and close family unit.” 

James continued that “Carole’s eye attention is firmly on William as she listens to him speak, showing active listening signals and making this look like a deeper, warmer, and fonder chat than just Ascot small talk.” She further added that “It’s so clear that the presence of Kate’s mother and father, who have had a very parental role in William’s life, creates what looks like a safe place for William to relax and have fun in the wake of all the worries over his wife’s illness.”

After all, William has known the Middletons since he was just a tender 19 years old; he’ll turn 42 tomorrow, so that’s over half of his life. “William’s bond with Carole and Michael is believed to have grown only stronger in recent years,” Tatler reports, and royal commentator and biographer Duncan Larcombe told The Mirror that William has become “like an adopted son” to the Middletons. 

“One of the things that has clearly strengthened William and Kate’s relationship from the beginning was the fact that Kate came from a very tight-knit family,” he said. “It is something that he has kind of lacked in his life, obviously losing his mother. So it is only natural [that Carole and Michael] will step into the breach and support [William and Kate] throughout this in every way. The Middletons are the perfect antidote, really, to the pomp and pageantry of the royal family, because they are quite an ordinary family unit, which will be important to help aid Kate’s recovery.”

Per The Mirror, Carole and Michael were, naturally, said to be “desperately upset” about their daughter’s cancer diagnosis earlier this year, but were “rallying” to support both Kate and William, as well as their kids: “They’ll have rallied around her, especially her young family,” Larcombe said. “Carole and Michael will have essentially thrown a safety blanket around the young children to help protect them. In times like this for Kate, it is hugely important. It is crucial the children are looked after carefully.”

In Carole’s own words, she told Good Housekeeping that she will always be an active part in the lives of George, Charlotte, and Louis. “I want to run down the hills, climb the trees, and go through the tunnel at the playground,” she said. “As long as I am able to, that’s what I’ll be doing. I cook with them. I muck around dancing, we go on bike rides.” After the Wales family moved to Adelaide Cottage and Windsor in September 2022, they became geographically much closer to the Middletons, which has only allowed George, Charlotte, Louis, and their maternal grandparents to grow closer, a closeness no doubt accentuated even more so throughout the past few months.