The King is said to have dispelled any notion of a rivalry with his elder son, who was front and centre at D-Day commemorative events this week as both the monarch and Kate, the Princess of Wales, continue with their respective cancer treatments.
Duties are being spread amongst an increasingly small number of working royals due to health issues, the departure of Harry and Meghan from the UK for the US after and the withdrawal of Prince Andrew from public life amidst scandal.
As a result, William has found his diary full of public engagements, not least in France this week where he joined leaders from across the world including US president Joe Biden to remember the D-Day fallen.
Sources have suggested that Charles might once have disliked allowing his son to be more visible in public – but with cancer treatment and the ever-smaller number of working royals to hand, he has been happy to change his thinking.
A friend of the King says that in recent years, Charles has consulted his son on tricky family issues involving the likes of Prince Andrew and Harry and Meghan. Their joint efforts to tackle these issues is said to have boosted both their personal and working relationship.
King Charles III and his son Prince William, Prince of Wales, as William was named Colonel in Chief of the Army Air Corps last month
William has been front and centre representing Britain during D-Day commemorations in France this week (pictured with US president Joe Biden)
William is thought to have been a source of counsel for the King on family matters concerning his brother Andrew (left) as well as son Harry (right)
Prince William, King Charles III and Queen Camilla during the UK’s national commemorative event for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, in Portsmouth on June 5
The King and Queen then attended the early part of an event in Normandy on June 6 – before returning home to the UK
William was in his element deputising for his father, speaking to veterans in northern France after Charles went home
‘If there was ever a green-eyed monster or a sense of rivalry between the two, that is a chapter of the past,’ the friend told The Times.
‘The King sees his son as a useful ally on family matters and increasingly in discharging the duties of nation and state.’
A source close to William added: ‘He very much wants to support his father. That isn’t something new, but of course with everything the King is going through with his treatment, he will continue to support him as much as he can.’
Charles was not completely absent from this week’s commemorative events in Normandy. He and the Queen attended a memorial ceremony on Friday at Ver-sur-Mer alongside French president Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte.
But William was front and centre as colonel in chief of the Army Air Corps – whose tie he wore. Ironically, the AAC trained Prince Harry as an Apache helicopter pilot.
The younger son of the King was not, however, present in France for the memorial services, despite his widespread and heavily publicised support for military veterans through the Invictus Games and associated charitable enterprises.
