The Princess of Wales has been front and centre this year, returning to duty after enduring a turbulent 2024.
The mother of three confirmed her cancer diagnosis last year, taking a step back from the spotlight to focus on her recovery. And now in remission, she is said to be scaling up her public appearances and preparing for her future role as Queen.
However, after navigating the "toughest year of her life" in 2024, she is not alone, with Princess Kate said to be surrounded by a solid support network.
The Middleton family is central to this, with Princess Kate known to depend on her parents, Carole and Michael, and her siblings, Pippa and James.
In fact, the family is said to be so close that Prince William's friends used to refer to them as the 'On Masse Middletons' due to the fact that they were always together.
"When things go wrong, they pull together under Carole's direction," royal expert Ingrid Seward has previously explained in an interview with HELLO! Magazine. "She is the matriarch of this family and they all take her advice because they have great respect for their mum."
This also now includes Alizee Thevenet, with the 36-year-old marrying James Middleton in 2021, welcoming their son Inigo in October 2023.
And with Thevenet now firmly established within the Middleton family, she is set to play an important role in Princess Kate's support system.
In this Sunday Times bestseller, royal author correspondent Robert Jobson takes a look at the popular royal's journey from university undergraduate to the Princess of Wales.
"[The Princess of Wales'] sister-in-law Alizee Thevenet could become a major support in her life once she takes on the role of queen," reported The Express.
"[Thevenet] potentially can learn the rudiments of negotiating her pathway into the Middleton family and hopefully becoming a source of strength, hope, and optimism to our future queen Princess Kate," added royal commentator and psychologist, Dr. Arthur Cassidy, to HELLO! Magazine.
We will continue to update this story.
