The Prince of Wales shared a common trait with his late grandmother the Queen – and it has become apparent this past year as he dealt with both his father and his wife’s cancer diagnoses

Prince William shares a key trait with his late grandmother, the Queen, which has come to the forefront in recent months, according to a royal expert. By his own admission, the past year has been the “hardest” of William’s life, with both his father King Charles, and his wife Princess Kate, diagnosed with cancer within a matter of weeks of each other.

The future King took some time away from his official duties to care for his family before returning to work in April. And he demonstrated a characteristic he shared with the Queen, which helped him navigate through such difficult circumstances. Hello!’s royal expert Emily Nash noted that William appears to have the same ability the late Queen had to “compartmentalise” his feelings in order to be able to resume royal engagements.

“What I found really interesting watching William recently is how much he shares his late grandmother’s ability to compartmentalise,” she said. “If you remember back to those early engagements in the early spring, I’m thinking in particular to him turning up to that event with Tom Cruise – behind the scenes, all manner of stuff was going on. And yet he turns up, smile on his face, he’s able to get on with things.”

She further told Times Radio in May that while William is a private man, he will be grateful for the outpouring of support shown to his family. “Obviously, everywhere he goes now people are offering him good wishes for the Princess, asking after her. And we know he’s a very private man, he’s not about to give chapter and verse on things, but they’ve also shared messages about how much the outpouring of support means to them,” she said.”So I think they’re drawing strength from each other but also from the wider public and the response to her illness.”

It comes as Kate and William prepare to join the King for Christmas as the royals unite following the family’s year-long cancer battle. The festive celebration will mark the first time the royal family have come together en-masse after a tumultuous year for the monarch and the Princess of Wales in light of their cancer battles.. King Charles and Kate even spent time in the same hospital at the same time over several days in January. And the King was said to have ‘toddled’ down the hospital corridor to comfort his beloved daughter-in-law as they both recovered from surgeries.

While the monarch is still receiving weekly treatment, the Princess of Wales revealed in October, after eight months of chemotherapy, that she had finally completed her treatment. Now, royal sources have revealed how the King is ‘delighted’ to have the Prince and Princess and their three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis – confirmed for Christmas and has already been making plans to celebrate with them and his extended family after such a difficult year. A royal insider told the Mirror : “The King is embracing the Christmas period already and really getting into the spirit. Staff who have seen him this week remarked how happy and healthy he was looking.”