Touching portrait of just how far Prince William and Camilla’s relationship has come: Charming moment Wills and the Queen share carriage at Ascot as royals gather without King and Kate

At one point, Prince William’s relationship with his stepmother was so bad that he allegedly ‘begged’ his father not to marry her.

Prince Harry famously claimed in his bombshell memoir Spare that he and William  pleaded with King Charles not to tie the knot with ‘wicked stepmother’ Camilla.

But today, in touching images, the Prince of Wales and the Queen showed how far they have come in their relationship as they arrived at Royal Ascot together in what was a rare joint outing at a social occasion.  

With beaming smiles, the pair looked at ease as they sat with the Earl and Countess of Halifax during the traditional royal carriage procession.

It was the first time that Camilla and William have teamed up since they led senior royals at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in March.

But whilst that was an official engagement, Ascot is not on the roster of duties and so will be seen by royal watchers as a sign of how well William and the Queen now get on.

They were joined by royals including Zara and Mike Tindall and Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, who are today celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary.

And Michael and Carole Middleton attended in what was their first public appearance since their daughter the Princess of Wales was diagnosed with cancer. 

The Duchess of York and her daughters Eugenie and Beatrice, along with Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, also delighted crowds. 

King Charles – who is continuing his own cancer treatment – did not repeat yesterday’s appearance and instead focused on holding audiences at Buckingham Palace.  

William’s relationship with Camilla stretches back to the trauma of his childhood.

King Charles embarked on an affair with her in the late 1980s, when he was still married to Princess Diana. 

The couple’s romance remained low-key until after Diana’s death in a car crash in Paris in 1997 – the year after she and Charles had divorced. 

Camilla had been seeing Charles when she was still married to first husband Andrew Parker Bowles. They divorced in 1995.   

In Spare, Harry likened Camilla to a ‘wicked stepmother’ and even accused her of leaking stories about him through a palace spin doctor.

However, when Charles and Camilla did get married in April 2005, both William and Harry were present at the ceremony. 

In march, William and Camilla shared a giggle when they were joined by Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh for Commonwealth Day.

It was a far cry from their strained appearances in previous years.

At Ascot today, Carole and Michael Middleton beamed as they arrived side-by-side for the prestigious event at the Berkshire racecourse. 

Kate, who is continuing her cancer treatment, was not present despite making a welcome appearance at Trooping the Colour at the weekend. 

She revealed in a statement on Friday she is making ‘good progress’ in her treatment but candidly said she has ‘good days and bad days’ and although there has been some limited working from home, she stressed ‘I am not out of the woods yet’. 

Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank were in another carriage, and when the procession reached the parade ring, Zara was waiting to greet them all.

Other guests included Andrew Lloyd Webber who was made a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter during a ceremony at Windsor Castle on Monday, attended by the King and Queen and other senior royals.

Theatre impresario Lord Lloyd-Webber, whose hit musicals include The Phantom Of The Opera, Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar and Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, was joined by his wife.

The Middletons also made their way into the ring to mingle with other guess from the royal box.

In March, Carole was pictured driving a 4×4 Audi, with Kate in the passenger seat, near Windsor Castle. The images were published by US gossip website TMZ.

Then in April, William was spotted on a ‘low key’ pub outing in Norfolk with his mother-in-law, while his wife stayed at home, The Daily Mail’s Richard Eden reported. Carole was said to be staying with the couple over Easter.

For today’s appearance, Carole looked effortlessly elegant in her all blue ensemble as she joined her equally sophisticated husband at Ascot.

Her floral dress appeared reminiscent of Kate’s £1,275 blue lace creation by Elie Saab, which she first wore to Royal Ascot in 2019. It also featured a dainty bow and pleated detailing.

Royal Ascot, the jewel in the crown of the UK racing calendar, started yesterday with the Queen Anne Stakes and will run until Saturday. 

Yesterday, the King and Queen joined punters at the famous race meeting.

Lady Gabriella Windsor, who lost her husband earlier this year, was also present. 

Charles and Camilla took on the late Queen’s thoroughbreds and have entered a string of horses at the race. 

The late Queen was a passionate owner and breeder of thoroughbreds, and had more than 20 Royal Ascot winners during her 70-year reign.