Charles and Diana had a rocky marriage, fraught with conflict and infidelity, and they eventually separated and divorced. William and his brother Harry never got to experience what a stable, happy family life was like and the Duke of Cambridge was a particularly sensitive child.
Sarah Bradford, Viscount Bangor, spoke to 2017 ITV documentary ‘Kate: The Making of a Modern Queen’ about the role that Kate Middleton had in changing this around for the prince.
She said: “I think that Kate’s influence on William has been very, very important.
“I think he was quite seriously affected by the bad relationship of his parents and I think that Kate has strengthened him.
“Harry, of course, bouncies along anyway, but I think William was more sensitive and more affected by, say, the suffering of his mother.
“And I think Kate has provided the necessary stability for him.”
In contrast to William’s upbringing, Kate was born into a more ordinary, middle-class family and enjoyed a strong family unit growing up.
Her parents Michael and Carole, and her siblings Pippa and James, are a tight-knit group with few dramas and one that now William is able to be a part of too.
What’s more, Kate and William have now had three children ‒ Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, four, and Prince Louis, two ‒ whom they have managed to raise mostly in private, which they value greatly.
Kate’s confidence and commitment to royal life has also bolstered Wiliam’s confidence and meant they can tackle their duties together as a couple.
Royal expert Katie Nicholl told the documentary: “Don’t be under the illusion that she’s a wallflower, because she’s not.
“She’s very strong, she’s very confident and she has a real clarity of vision and I think William depends on that hugely ‒ so she’s brought a huge amount to William’s life.
“She has filled William’s life with life and happiness and security, and she’s given him the family life, through her own family ‒ just regular things that he never got to enjoy, but he is enjoying now, and I think that she’s made him incredibly happy.”
Kate and William’s marriage could not be more different to his parents’ ‒ for one thing Diana was just 19 when she became engaged to Charles, who was 13 years her senior, whereas William and Kate were in the same year at university.
The Prince and Princess of Wales also had not been seeing each other for very long before rushing into an engagement, whereas Kate had nearly a decade to get accustomed to the idea of joining the Royal Family and make a decision as to whether that is what she really wants.
It is also believed that the Royal Family made a concerted effort to support Kate and to bring her family into the fold, to try and avoid history repeating itself.
Kate’s wholesome family life is also a contast to what Diana experienced growing up ‒ her parents split when she was seven years old and numerous friends have claimed she had a real sense that her mother abandoned her.
In this way, Kate and William had a strong relationship to build on when they got married and her stable family background has helped both her and William navigate their life together.
Emily Nash, royal correspondent for Hello! magazine, told the documentary: “William and Kate’s marriage is very much a love match, and I think they are incredibly happy.
“You can see a huge amount of affection between them on engagements, there’s often an arm round one another, looks that they share and I hope that’s going to last.
“I think they’ve certainly got a fantastic example in the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.
“I think because William experienced his parents’ difficult marriage he’s very keen to not repeat that scenario and I don’t think it will ever happen.”
Indeed, William’s grandparents Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip have been a strong couple throughout the Queen’s long reign, and it is clear that he has been a huge sense of support for her.
Philip also conducted a vast number of solo engagements and only retired at the age of 96, having completed 22,219 solo engagements since 1952.
The Queen, meanwhile, is still going strong at 94.
The pair are likely an inspiration to William and Kate for their future, which will see William become the new Prince of Wales and eventually the King, with Kate as his consort.