Royal experts have noted the close bond that the late Queen formed with her granddaughter-in-law Princess Kate following her marriage to Prince William in April 2011

The late Queen took Princess Kate under her wing and grew to have a ‘grandmotherly’ relationship with William’s wife, according to a number of royal experts.

Kate joined the Royal Family in 2011 upon her wedding, and she had a huge amount of respect and admiration for the monarch, who she saw as a ‘guide’.

“The Queen grew to trust Kate. I don’t think she really trusted anyone on first impression, we’re all performing the same show, the show is supporting the Queen,” noted the Daily Mail’s Richard Kay while speaking on Channel 5’s Kate & The Queen: A Special Relationship.

“But with Kate and the Queen it grew deeper than that, there was a real grandmotherly affection between the two.”

Ingrid Seward, royal expert and editor of Majesty magazine echoed his comments, adding: “I think the Queen saw her strength and saw that she is a caring person who had this amazing affiliation to duty. I think Kate would have really appreciated the kindness and attention the Queen had given to her, and she knows better than anyone how busy the Queen is. She put time aside to make Kate feel appreciated.”

Royal expert Victoria Murphy added that Kate always described the Queen as “a gentle guidance”. “Right from the beginning, Kate had a lot more in common personality wise with Elizabeth,” she said. “They have something about them which has that inner poise and the capacity to lead and command respect.”.

And India McTaggart, royal correspondent at the Telegraph, added: “Catherine has said the Queen was very supportive of her as she was undertaking her first engagements without William. I think she influenced her by showing her by example.”