King Charles has honoured “beloved” Kate Middleton with a major new title

The Princess of Wales is currently on a temporary break from royal duties, as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy, confirming that she had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer this year.

“It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family," the Princess of Wales explained in a video message, telling those affected by cancer around the world, "You are not alone".

One of the 34-year-old's biggest champions and supporters since the news of her diagnosis has reportedly been her father-in-law, King Charles, who is also receiving treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer.

This week, King Charles bestowed honours on a handful of people as is tradition on St George's Day, and in a touching act, he reserved one of the very highest honours for his "beloved" daughter-in-law.

Yes, really. The Princess of Wales has been been appointed The Royal Companion of The Order of the Companions Honour, in recognition of her hard work and dedication to the royal family.

King Charles and the Princess of Wales are known to have shared a close bond, but they are thought to have got even closer this year amid their respective recoveries. "[His Majesty] has remained in the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law throughout the past weeks'', explained a spokesperson for the 75-year-old monarch, adding that both he and Queen Camilla ''will continue to offer their love and support to the whole family through this difficult time''.

“[The Princess of Wales] has always had a close relationship with Charles, but this has brought them so much closer,” a friend of the royal family reported via Vanity Fair. “Charles adores Kate and has so much respect for her and the courage she has shown in all of this. He was fully behind her recording the message. He has been buoyed by the many messages of support he has received, and he knew that Kate would get the same support from the public.”

We will continue to update this story.