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Prince William and Princess Charlotte Have ‘Truly Special Bond’: ‘A Total Daddy’s Girl’
This year has been absolutely “dreadful” for Prince William. In a new interview with Britain’s The Times, released on November 10, the future king got uncharacteristically personal about both Princess Kate Middleton and King Charles III being diagnosed with cancer in 2024. “It’s probably been the hardest year in my life …. Trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult,” he confessed. “I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done. But from a personal family point of view, it’s been brutal.”
There’s been some good news in recent months: Kate completed chemotherapy in September, and Charles, though still undergoing treatment, was well enough to carry out an official royal tour of Australia and Samoa in October. As their family continues to navigate the unknown twists and turns of the pair’s health crisis, William’s looked to his children — Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6 — when he needs inspiration to carry on. “William loves his sons. They give him so much joy. Charlotte lifts his spirits in a whole different way, though,” a source exclusively tells Life & Style, explaining that the daughter William sweetly calls “Mignonette” — a French term of endearment that means little darling or cutie — has been an especially bright light during this challenging year. “They have a truly special bond that’s only been strengthened by the royals’ recent adversities.”
THICK AS THIEVES
Kate and William, both 42, have done a lot of reflecting on the “simple yet important things in life,”including just “simply loving and being loved,” she shared two months ago. That’s meant prioritizing time with their kids amid her recovery. “The boys worship Kate — they’re both mummy’s boys — while Charlotte and William have this indescribable connection. She just has a way of putting a smile on his face,” says the source, calling Charlotte “a total daddy’s girl.”
And she knows it. “Kate gives William a hard time because he doesn’t really see how Charlotte has him wrapped around her little finger,” explains the source. “He just melts and will do whatever she wants.” Case in point: Though William’s been sporting a new look — scruffy facial hair — since August, he initially scrapped the beard after his mini-me made it clear she wasn’t a fan of the change. “Charlotte didn’t like it the first time. I got floods of tears, so I had to shave it off,” the Prince of Wales told reporters on November 7 while in Cape Town, South Africa, for his Earthshot Prize environmental awards. He later “convinced her it was going to be OK,” he said, and “I grew it back.”
SHARED PASSIONS
Like her mother, Charlotte has a deep love for sports. She enjoys rugby, soccer, gymnastics and tennis, her parents have confirmed, and takes after her “very competitive” mom, Rugby Football Union president Nigel Gillingham said in 2023. Like her father — who “made peanut butter on toast” for the Spice Girls when they visited his father’s Highgrove estate for tea, Sporty Spice Melanie Chisholm, 50, once revealed — Charlotte loves pop music. “Kate says William and Charlotte are two peas in a pod,” reveals the source, noting how the prince and his little look-alike both sang and danced their hearts out at Taylor Swift’s June 21 Eras Tour stop in London. Three months later, William proudly showed off a “Papa” friendship bracelet Charlotte made him while in South Africa. “He gets into what she loves,” says the source. “He’s totally engaged in her world.”
Now they’re teaming up to make the holidays “extra special” for Kate, says the source. “Charlotte has a list that includes her mother’s favorite foods and decorations she and her brothers are making themselves.”
Thankfully, the Princess of Wales is “doing well,” William shared on November 10. He even hinted she “will be doing a bit more next year” and that some royal “trips may be lined up” soon. Kate’s already started stepping out more, attending back-to-back events honoring Britain’s war heroes on November 9 and 10. On November 12, Kensington Palace confirmed she’ll also host her annual Westminster Abbey carol service on December 6.
William hopes spending Christmas with Charlotte and her brothers can be a welcome distraction for Kate and the king, 76. “The children are his secret weapon for getting them to look forward to a new year and better days ahead,” says the source. “It’s all about turning a page on this tough chapter — and Charlotte’s a big part of that. She’s really grown up a lot during all this family drama.”
Charlotte’s not only stepped up for Kate but has helped William “wrangle her brothers when needed,” adds the source. “William is beyond proud.”
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