Inside Princess Kate's unbreakable bond with her 'backbone' sister Pippa Middleton
As she took her seat in the Royal Box at Wimbledon, Princess Kate was flanked by her two angels.
Sitting by Princess Kate's side at Wimbledon was her daughter Princess Charlotte, nine, who looked up at her mother in absolute adoration and joy and proud sister Pippa Matthews, 40, who kept a protective eye on her.
It's no secret that the Princess and her sister are extremely close, from living together in a Chelsea flat in their 20s to sharing their motherhood journey, but as this year has tested Kate physically and mentally they've become unbreakable.
Particularly since she moved to Berkshire last year with her husband James Matthews and their three children Arthur, Grace and Rose, just a stone's throw from the Wales's royal residence Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.
Pippa has been more than a shoulder to cry on - she's been a powerful tower of support for her sister, during her cancer treatment.
Pippa and Kate, both avid tennis fans, have been spotted in the Royal Box at sporting events like Wimbledon numerous times over the years.
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But Sunday's outing to the tennis championships was the most significant yet as it was the princess's first sports outing since revealing this year that she had cancer.
And since Prince William was engaged in supporting England's football team in the Euros tournament, Kate turned to Pippa to be at her side for moral support on the much-scrutinised occasion.
Pippa was seen laughing and joking with young Charlotte, to keep the mood light.
Sources described Pippa as the future Queen's closest ally and secret support network and likened their bond to the one the late Queen enjoyed with her younger sister, Princess Margaret.
"They were already genuinely best friends but this gruelling year has seen them grow even closer," the insider said.
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"Pippa has been something of an angel and backbone for Catherine. She's there at the drop of a hat, helping to pick up the slack on physical tasks when needed. But it's the emotional support she provides that is invaluable to Catherine.
"Like the bond shared between the Queen and Princess Margaret, they are genuinely best friends who understand each other and who Catherine can trust implicitly.
"And like Princess Margaret Pippa is the more outgoing of the two sisters but that only adds to her ability to support her sister in her royal role."
As children, Kate and Pippa, who are less than two years apart in age, bonded over their shared love of exercise and sport while both pupils at Marlborough College.
In their twenties, the pair were regulars on the Chelsea social scene. These days Pippa is busy running the Bucklebury Gift and Farm Shop set deep in the Berkshire countryside, near to Pippa's £15 million country home.
She bought the 77-acre site with husband James in 2020 and hopes to turn it into a thriving commercial enterprise.
Speaking to Today in the US in 2014, Pippa said she and Kate 'spend a lot of time together' despite the 'pressures' her sister faces in her public role and revealed she is able to call Kate any time she wants a little bit of 'girl talk' and that the pair have a 'normal, sisterly relationship'
She said: "We're very close. And, you know, we support each other and get each other's opinions and things."
She has attended the Princess's Carol Concert in Westminster Abbey every year since Kate has been hosting the event - and in December 2022, when the date of the Christmas event fell on the same day that Harry and Meghan's explosive Netflix series landed, Pippa rallied around Kate wearing the same coloured burgundy outfit to show her solidarity to her sister at a tense time.
