Prince William leans on unexpected woman for strength amid Kate's woes

Prince William's toughest chapter came during Princess Kate's darkest days when the weight of the crown and a family in crisis became almost too much to bear.

Behind the palace walls, it was the quiet comfort of a surprise woman that kept the future British monarch going. She became the Prince of Wales's unexpected anchor when he needed it most.

It won't be wrong to say that William is one of the lucky ones when it comes to his in-laws as he enjoys a good relationship with both of his wife's parents.

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Royal author Robert Jobson reveals how William leaned on his mother-in-law Carole Middleton after Princess Catherine's cancer diagnosis.

The 44-year-old streghtened his bond with his mother-in-law, Carole Middleton, 71, especially after she was there to support him during Kate's treatment.

They went on to reveal that Carole would take her son-in-law out to the pub and 'they would sit and talk', offering William a break from the 'brutal' time, as he would later describe it.

'[Carole] was there to support William and was there all the time for the grandchildren. She's been as solid as a rock,' Robert said.

'When everything was falling apart and he needed someone to talk to, she was the one. She's been a good sounding-board, a wise head.'

When Carole's heel got stuck in the grass during the occasion, it was William who offered a helping hand to his 'second mum' as she steadied herself, before the pair chatted jovially among other guests.

William is said to have 'adopted' the Middleton family soon after he started dating Kate in the early 2000s - and Carole is now an indispensable part of the Wales' close-knit family unit.

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