How Prince William Has Helped Kate Middleton Through Her Health Battle

Kate shared in her latest missive that she’s been “blown away by all the kind messages of support and encouragement,” adding, “It really has made the world of difference to William and me and has helped us both through some of the harder times.”

The Prince of Wales has also appreciated these public displays of empathy, the future king not minding a pick-me-up, either, amid such trying times.

“The double illness has placed enormous pressure on William, both as a parent and inheritor of the family business,” royal biographer and The Crown historian Robert Lacey told the magazine. “It has brought all kinds of challenges. He [has handled] it with calmness and lack of drama.”

And, Lacey added, “From what we know of their personal lives, for William and Kate, spending time with their children is the most precious and enjoyable thing they can do.”

Kate’s parents are also among the couple’s support system, William joining Carole and Michael Middleton at Royal Ascot on June 19. Close to his in-laws since his days courting their daughter while they were students at University of St. Andrews, at one point William took Carole’s hand as she freed the heel of her shoe from the grass at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire.