Breaking: Kate Middleton and Prince William’s Relationship Has Become “More Open” After Her Cancer Battle….See More

They are able to express themselves in a way they would never have done before.”

Through what’s been a challenging year for the royal family, Prince William and Princess Kate’s relationship has taken center stage, and according to royal sources, they’ve only come out of 2024 stronger.

A palace source tells People that the couple is “more open” now following Kate’s battle with cancer, adding that the Prince and Princess of Wales “talk about their relationship together” and are showing a different side to their traditionally private partnership.

When William called his “dreadful” 2024 “probably the hardest year in my life,” he wasn’t exaggerating. With both Kate and King Charles facing cancer battles, the future king had to navigate some seriously rough waters. The princess announced she’d been diagnosed with cancer in March 2024, just a month after King Charles revealed his own health news. In January 2025, the Princess of Wales—who paid a personal visit to the hospital where she was treated—announced that she was officially in remission.

While Kate and William have never been big on PDA, they showed a more personal side of their relationship in an emotional September 2024 video announcing that the princess had completed chemotherapy treatment. The royal couple hugged and even kissed in the video (to Princess Charlotte’s apparent dismay).

Here we see a little of that love expressed physically in a way that is as unexpected as it is unfamiliar,” the Daily Mail’s Sarah Vine wrote at the time, pointing out that William and Kate were “presenting themselves not only as royals, parents—but also as sweethearts.”

Despite a difficult year that saw Princess Kate mostly staying at home to recover (with a few royal appearances in the summer and fall), the Prince of Wales carried out royal engagements and looked after Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. To mark his wife being in remission, William kicked off the new year—and broke royal birthday tradition—with a special message he penned honoring her 43rd birthday.

“To the most incredible wife and mother. The strength you’ve shown over the last year has been remarkable. George, Charlotte, Louis and I are so proud of you… We love you,” he wrote on Instagram alongside a new black-and-white photo of the Princess of Wales.