Before tying the knot in 2011 and becoming parents of 3 wonderful children, Prince William and Kate Middleton had been in a relationship for about 10 years and even scared their fans a little by breaking up for a while. We often talk about Kate’s relationship with her in-laws and the doubts Queen Elizabeth II and Camilla Parker Bowles had of her before the wedding. But few people know how William won over the Middletons, which is just as important in the family.

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Although Kate’s parents are fairly wealthy people, they are not aristocrats. They gave their children an excellent education, good manners, and taught them to earn their living. Both Middleton sisters married well.

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In one of the episodes of The Windsors podcast, Juliet Rieden suggested that William being accepted by his future spouse’s family was equally important. Her childhood and youth were very different from his. The future King was bound by many restrictions and prohibitions – he couldn’t spend much time with his friends or go shopping on his own. He also couldn’t enjoy that much privacy.

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When he visited the Middleton estate in Berkshire, sometimes he could enjoy the ‘normal’ life: a traditional, yet perhaps not too fancy, family dinner, watching TV, lying down on a couch.

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In an interview that followed his engagement to Kate, William noted that her family was very friendly, caring, and supportive. They let the young Prince feel like part of the family.

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On the one hand, what could be more heart-pounding than marrying your daughter off to the heir to the throne? Especially considering late Princess Diana’s marriage experience. On the other hand, he also needed to get on the good side of his bride’s family, despite his higher status.

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People shared the opinion of royal author Ingrid Seward that William was almost the perfect son-in-law for the Middletons. He always kept in touch with them, and Kate’s relatives were frequent guests at the Windsors’ family and ceremonial events. Mike and Carole (Kate’s parents) helped the young couple after Prince George was born.

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Apparently, William always held his in-laws in high esteem and tried to make them feel more comfortable even despite the protocol. And it seems to us that Mike and Carole let William into their family as if he was their own son. It was a bit tougher for Kate, though.

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According to rumors, the Windsors even feared that Middleton could have become the ‘second Camilla’ when they parted with the Prince. They said that the older members of the family didn’t exclude the possibility that if he married someone else, romantic feelings for Kate could flare up once in a while, just as in the case of Charles and Parker Bowles.

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As far as we can tell, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge turned out to be an excellent couple, probably largely due to the fact that each of the spouses made efforts with the other’s family. And how much does it affect a relationship in a new family?