Touching portrait of just how far Prince William and Camilla’s relationship has come: Charming moment Wills and the Queen share carriage at Ascot as royals gather without King and Kate

At one point, Prince William‘s relationship with his stepmother was so bad that he allegedly ‘begged’ his father not to marry her.

Prince Harry famously claimed in his bombshell memoir Spare that he and William pleaded with King Charles not to tie the knot with ‘wicked stepmother’ Camilla.

But today, in touching images, the Prince of Wales and the Queen showed how far they have come in their relationship as they arrived at Royal Ascot together in what was a rare joint outing at a social occasion.

With beaming smiles, the pair looked at ease as they sat with the Earl and Countess of Halifax during the traditional royal carriage procession.

It was the first time that Camilla and William have teamed up since they led senior royals at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in March.

But whilst that was an official engagement, Ascot is not on the roster of duties and so will be seen by royal watchers as a sign of how well William and the Queen now get on.

They were joined by royals including Zara and Mike Tindall and Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, who are today celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary.

And Michael and Carole Middleton attended in what was their first public appearance since their daughter the Princess of Wales was diagnosed with cancer.

The Duchess of York and her daughters Eugenie and Beatrice, along with Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, also delighted crowds.

King Charles – who is continuing his own cancer treatment – did not repeat yesterday’s appearance and instead focused on holding audiences at Buckingham Palace.