Princess Charlotte is said to be very “protective” of the Princess of Wales as she recovers from cancer

The Princess of Wales returned to royal life this month, making her first public appearance of the year at the annual Trooping the Colour celebrations.

The surprise appearance was a major step, with the 42-year-old mother of three on a temporary break from duties following her cancer diagnosis earlier this year.

And while Princess Kate has impressed upon the public that she is “not out of the woods yet”, she is said to be making “good progress”.

This has undoubtedly been helped along by her close support network, with Prince William and their three children said to be “pulling out all the stops” to aid her recovery.

This is particularly true of Princess Charlotte, with royal experts opening up this week about how protective the nine-year-old is of her mother.

"I think that Charlotte is really taking care of her mum,” explained royal expert Ingrid Seward to Hello!, going on to note how the “protective” young princess stayed by her mother’s side at Trooping the Colour.

"Charlotte seems to be very full of admiration for her mother, which I think is a lovely thing, too,” she continued.

"Kate and Charlotte are great friends and I think to Kate, their bond is very precious,” Seward went on to state, adding that “the mother-daughter relationship is obviously particularly important to Kate because she has such a close relationship with her own mother, Carole Middleton."

It is not known when the Princess of Wales will return to her role on a permanent basis, but she has stated that she hopes "to join a few public engagements over the summer."

"Thank you so much for your continued understanding," the Princess of Wales concluded her statement. "And to all of you who have so bravely shared your stories with me."

We will continue to update this story.