Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, has been spending time at Anmer Hall in Norfolk as she continues to recover from cancer treatment, and has been surrounded by her closest friends

Kate Middleton has been leaning on her trusted inner circle as she undergoes cancer treatment, with friends being described as “a beacon of hope”. The Princess of Wales has taken a step back from public duties to focus on her health and has found solace at Anmer Hall in Norfolk.

“Kate feels more at home in Norfolk,” a royal insider revealed. “She’s got several close friends there. The Van Cutsems live nearby and so do Tom and Polly Coke [Cook]. Laura Meade is a close source of comfort for the princess and so are the Carter girls.”

During this challenging period, it’s essential for Kate to be surrounded by a dependable support network, and her nearest and dearest have certainly stepped up to the plate.

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L-R – Sophie Snuggs, Lady Laura and James Meade are key figures in the Waleses’ lives (
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Getty Images)

Her loyal companions, including Emilia Jardine-Paterson, Sophie Snuggs, Lady Laura Meade, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley and Natasha Archer, are all playing a pivotal role in providing both practical help and emotional backing as Kate navigates her path back to Royal engagements.

While the family cherishes their time in Norfolk, the schooling of their children means that they are often bound to Windsor during school terms. Adelaide Cottage serves as a convenient base near Lambrook School amidst these trying times.

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Robert and Hannah Carter are close friends of Kate (
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The Wales family finds solace in the steadfast support of close friends while residing in Windsor, with figures like cricketer Kevin Pietersen and his wife Jessica Taylor shining as beacons of hope for Kate during challenging times, according to OK!.

“Kate has got a set of friends in the Windsor area, but they are relationships she has built through the children’s friendships with their children,” a source revealed. “It’s a very different dynamic to the set she has in Norfolk. Those friends are the ones she can discuss anything with while she can be rather closed off to others.”

William Van Cutsem, Edward Van Cutsem, Nicholas Van Cutsem and Hugh Van Cutsem after a Requiem Mass for Hugh van Cutsem in 2013 (
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In Windsor, Kate’s parents and siblings are just a stone’s throw away, always ready to lend a hand. But there’s another key player in the Wales household: their trusted nanny, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo.

After ten years of service, Maria is practically part of the family.

“Kate must feel Maria is worth her weight in gold and that she can trust her children’s welfare to her as she continues her recovery,” commented Jennie Bond, former BBC Royal correspondent. “Luckily, from what we know about Maria (which is commendably very little because she is so discreet), she is content to spend her life helping others.”

Anmer Hall is the couple’s home in Norfolk on the Sandringham Estate (
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“She is a religious woman who, people in her hometown suggest, might have been a nun if she hadn’t plumped for nannying, so there seems little danger of her moving on for the foreseeable future and that’s something for which I imagine Kate will be especially grateful.”