- - Inside Kate Middleton and Prince William's Reconnected Marriage: 'He Treats Her Like His Bride' (Exclusive)

Simon Perry, Janine HenniDecember 18, 2025 at 5:00 AM

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(Left) Prince William and Kate Middleton in Tobermory, Scotland on April 29, 2025; (Right) Prince William and Kate Middleton at Royal Albert Hall in London on Nov. 19, 2025 -

Kate Middleton and Prince William's royal romance is stronger than ever after a turbulent time in which Princess Kate and King Charles were both diagnosed with cancer

"They seem more loved-up than ever," royal historian Amanda Foreman tells PEOPLE in this week's exclusive cover story

The Prince and Princess of Wales, both 43, have shifted their dynamic during a defining year

Those close to Kate Middleton and Prince William say they have emerged more connected than ever after a turbulent few years.

After more than 20 years together, the Prince and Princess of Wales, both 43, have shown subtle but unmistakable shifts in their dynamic — gentle touches, shared smiles, hands resting at each other’s backs.

"He treats her like his bride," royal historian Amanda Foreman tells PEOPLE in this week's cover story. "They seem more loved-up than ever."

That renewed warmth was on full display on Nov. 19 at the Royal Variety Performance, where William lifted Kate’s hand for a kiss as they arrived and kept a protective hand at her back as they entered Royal Albert Hall. The glam night out marked their first red carpet in two years, a meaningful milestone following Kate’s chemotherapy treatment in 2024.

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Prince William and Kate Middleton enter Royal Albert Hall for the Royal Variety Performance on Nov. 19, 2025 in London.

"What they have been through over the last few years has been so terrible," Foreman says. "That either drives couples apart, or, in their case, it brings them together. It irons out the kinks and enables them to see each other clearly."

It has been a defining year for the Princess and Princess of Wales after a difficult stretch for the royal family — from Queen Elizabeth's death in 2022 to the turbulence that followed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's bombshell docuseries and Harry’s subsequent memoir, published in 2023.

Then came the upheavals of 2024. In February, King Charles revealed his cancer diagnosis just as Princess Kate was privately confronting her own, a reality she would not share publicly until March. By then, she had prepared her children and endured weeks of speculation and online conspiracy theories about her whereabouts and health.

"She didn’t just face a life-­ threatening illness — the global Internet went after her," Foreman says. "It was a character assassination."

PEOPLE Magazine, Dec. 29, 2025.

Navigating Kate’s health has required the couple to grow as parents, too. While in Brazil for the Earthshot Prize in November, the Prince of Wales spoke candidly about the challenge of keeping Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, informed but not alarmed.

"There’s no manual for being a ­ parent — you’ve just got to go with it," he said. "Most of the time, hiding stuff from them doesn’t work."

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Prince William, Prince George, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Kate Middleton at the Together at Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey on Dec. 5, 2025.

Just two days after the German state banquet at Windsor Castle, where Prince William and Princess Kate shined in a striking appearance indicative of their growing royal roles, the Wales family returned to center stage for a more personal gathering.

On Dec. 5, Kate led William and their children into Westminster Abbey for her fifth annual Together at Christmas carol service. Exuding easy holiday warmth, she was joined by her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, and brother James Middleton as she celebrated many of the people and causes she and William championed over the past year.

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Prince George, Prince Louis, Prince William, Princess Charlotte and Kate Middleton at the Together at Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey in London on Dec. 5, 2025.

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In a royal landscape marked by ongoing turmoil, the sight of the Waleses moving in unison — steady, close, reassuring — offered a rare moment of continuity. As readings and carols by Hollywood star Kate Winslet and others filled the abbey, the family dynamic felt unmistakably tighter, grounded by Princess Kate’s presence and the weight of the year behind them.

"They care about the community and the people who were there,” says guest Emily Taylor, who was representing Tŷ Hafan, a children’s hospice that the Princess of Wales became patron of in January. “You realize they are just a mom and a dad with their children.”

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