The Sweet Way Kate Middleton Referred To Prince Charles Revealed

Although Kate Middleton married into the royal family in 2011, her relationship with father-in-law Prince Charles hasn't always been so rosy, according to The Daily Beast, as Charles allegedly told Prince William, before their engagement, to propose or break up with her. Even after the wedding, royal author Tom Bower said Charles felt "threatened" by the new couple, per PopSugar. The royal was also allegedly concerned about being "overshadowed" by William and Kate.

Kate and Charles' relationship has seemingly improved since then, even if they aren't so cozy. As a body language expert told Express in April: "Kate's role in Prince Charles' life appears to be that of a catalyst rather than a friend or kindred spirit. There are rarely if ever any signals of the kind of easy-going, spontaneous warmth he shares with his niece Zara." Their relationship seems to err on the more formal side, with the expert adding, "There's nothing to suggest a meeting of minds between Charles and Kate."

She continued, "When they are seen walking together Charles' body language suggests he might be at a bit of a loss in terms of easy-going conversation." However, it seems Kate's "respectful" body language does not go unnoticed. "Although her air of polite caution might not resonate with Charles it is clear she is exactly what he needed," she added.

But Kate recently made a kind gesture towards Charles. Keep reading for more details.

Never underestimate a lipreader!

According to the Daily Mail, a lipreader saw Kate Middleton call Prince Charles "grandpa" when she greeted him at the reception at Eden Project in Cornwall on June 11. Kate was spotted saying, "Hello, Grandpa! How are you?" as he turned towards her. Kate and Prince William filed in behind Queen Elizabeth and Charles, and once he stopped at the entrance, his daughter-in-law issued the cheery greeting.

Charles reportedly has a great relationship with his grandchildren, and they lovingly refer to him as "Grandpa Wales," according to Express. He gardened with Prince George and told BBC Radio (via Express): "The most important thing is I got him planting a tree or two here, so we planted it together and shoveled in the earth," Charles revealed. "That's the way I think, when you are very small, and then each time they come you say, 'Do you see how much the tree has grown?', or whatever, and you hope that they take an interest."

He previously opened up about being a grandparent to The Telegraph in 2013 and said, "The great thing is to encourage them. Show them things to take their interest. My grandmother did that, she was wonderful."