She was once branded the ‘wicked stepmother’ by Prince Harry, who said that he and his brother Prince William begged their father not to marry.

But Prince William’s carriage ride with Queen Camilla at Royal Ascot yesterday – with the Prince of Wales taking pride of place alongside his stepmother in the absence of King Charles – proved just how far their relationship has come.

The duo, who were joined in their carriage by the Earl and Countess of Halifax were seen sharing smiles, highlighting their growing fondness for each other amid an anxious time for both.

Queen Camilla and the Prince of Wales are currently facing similar hurdles in their personal lives, with both their spouses are undergoing treatments for cancer.

William balancing official duties with caring for his young family and supporting Kate while his wife takes a step back from her role as a senior working royal to continue her preventative chemotherapy.

Queen Camilla and Prince William were joined in their carriage by the Earl and Countess of Halifax as they waved to crowds at the racecourse in Berkshire and shared a smile

The duo rode in a carriage together, as King Charles missed the second day of Royal Ascot

Camilla and William smile as they are pictured having a chat in November 2022

When King Charles announced his condition, Queen Camilla upped her number of official duties and filled in for him at 13 royal engagements.

Prince William has forged an ‘unlikely ally’ with his stepmother amid the Royal Family‘s health crises, according to royal expert Jennie Bond.

Jennie previously told OK! magazine that she had noticed changes in William and Camilla’s relationship, even before Kate released her video statement about the disease in March.

She said: ‘Recent events have obviously brought William and Camilla much closer. They have been left, almost literally, nursing the Crown while the King and the Princess recover.

‘Their teams will be working more closely to coordinate diaries and cover the engagements that have been planned, and Camilla and William are bound to have been in much closer regular contact.’

Meanwhile, a royal source previously told the Sunday Times of Queen Camilla: ‘Although she was not expecting to find herself in the position of leading the family, the Queen is absolutely prepared to do whatever needs to be done for the institution.

‘She has found reserves of energy that even she didn’t think she had, and the estimation of her by those inside the palace has soared as she has put her shoulder to the wheel.’

The then Duchess of Cornwall and Prince William beam as they chat to others at the Commonwealth Day reception in 2018

Queen Camilla looks at Prince William as he smiles at revellers at Royal Ascot today

At the start of March, the Prince of Wales shared a giggle with his stepmother at the Commonwealth Day Service.

As Camilla approached, William was seen to say ‘hello’ to his stepmother before moving forward to kiss her on both cheeks.

They chatted as they stood side by side, ready for the national anthem to be played before they shared a laugh and led the other royals into the service.

In 2022, William was also there to support her on her first major outing since the late Queen issued her royal seal of approval for her to use the title when Charles, becomes monarch.

Queen Camilla and Prince William share a giggle as they lead the royals at Westminster Abbey

The Duchess of Cornwall engaged in a sweet chat with Prince William today in her first major event since being named as future Queen in 2022

Sources told the Daily Mail at the time that whilst he was not part of the decision-making process, William was’respectful’ of the title change.

But they have not always had a strong bond, with William struggling to come to grips with his stepmother at the start of the relationship, according to a well-placed source.

They told the newspaper: ‘There were huge family rows in the early stages of Charles and Camilla’s marriage as everyone found their feet. William didn’t have the best relationship with his father back then.

‘But he sees that Camilla had made his father happy and it is something he has come to terms with.

‘His relationship with the Prince of Wales is better than it ever has been. He is not particularly close to his stepmother but they get on perfectly well and are quite the blended family now.

‘He also respects his grandmother and her judgement more than anything in the world. If it is right for her, then it will be right for him.’

The Princess of Wales has also smoothed the relationship between William and Camilla, according to royal author and commentator, Angela Levin.

William, Camilla and Kate are pictured having a conversation at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in 2019

The then Duchess of Cornwall and Prince William arrive at Trooping the Colour in 2007

In her biography of Queen Camilla she says that Kate made a real effort to spend time with both William’s father and his stepmother.

Ms Levin writes in her book that she used shared interests, such as a love of the arts, to bond with Charles and Camilla and organised private meetings with them – without William in tow.

In Camilla: from Outcast to Queen Consort, Ms Levin writes: ‘Fortunately, time helped improve Camilla’s relationship with senior Royals, including Prince William, largely thanks to the Princess of Wales, who is a peacemaker.

‘Camilla is also a conciliator and doesn’t nurse grievances. They both believe that supporting their husbands is a priority,’ says Ms Levin, a journalist who has worked extensively for both The  Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday.

‘Catherine has a love of the arts, which William doesn’t particularly share, and she often goes both privately and publicly with the Queen Consort and King Charles to see exhibitions.’

William’s brother, Prince Harry – who left his role as a senior working royal to live in California with Meghan Markle in 2020 – also revealed how the brothers were reluctant to accept their father’s remarriage to Camilla.

In his memoir Spare released in early 2023, the Duke of Sus𝑠e𝑥 wrote that they ‘begged’ him not to remarry.

He wrote: ‘I remember wondering…if she would be cruel to me; if she would be like all the wicked stepmothers in the stories.’

Harry later wrote that ultimately he and William approved of Camilla