[ Crowd cheering ] -Kate and Harry were really good friends.

-He was actually one of her biggest vocal supporters among the family and a very sort of close ally.

-She was always encouraging him, always telling him that there would be someone there for him.

"And in the meantime, you've got us."

[ Dramatic music plays ] -Theirs is a very modern, once-upon-a-time tale.

-She's an actress, and she is now playing her most important role to date.

[ Crowd cheering ] -Harry was very keen for Kate to sort of fall in love with Meghan.

And he adored Kate and really wanted her approval.

But they've got very different characteristics... [ Reporters shouting indistinctly ] ...very different personalities.

They are very different people.

-Catherine got the hierarchical situation, which Meghan really didn't.

♪♪ -You could see things falling apart.

-You ever have disagreements about things?

[ Both laugh ] -Oh, yes.

[ Laughter ] -The wicked, pantomime princess that was taking on Snow White.

-Kate comes across as such an easygoing sort of person.

But one would mess with her at your peril.

[ Dramatic music plays ] ♪♪ ♪♪ -There's nothing common about Kate, but she certainly is a commoner.

-A fairy tale comes true.

-It's destined for them to be together.

-Very soon, Kate Middleton could be one of the most famous women in the world.

-But it comes at a price.

-There were hordes of media, and you could see Catherine being pursued relentlessly.

-And after eight years, Kate becomes a princess.

-This is the moment.

She is the future queen.

[ Crowd cheering ] [ Camera shutters clicking ] [ Down-tempo music plays ] -It is time to start seeing the world.

William and Kate's first overseas tour, Canada will provide an appropriate stage for a debut appearance.

-Two months after the wedding, Kate Middleton faces her first big public engagement.

-The scrutiny on the new Duchess of Cambridge would be enormous, and she would be very conscious that she can't put a foot wrong 'cause everyone would be looking at her.

And it's her first huge overseas event representing UK PLC.

So she's working as a member of the Royal Family, but, also, as a diplomat, as well.

-The images from the tour have been a brochure for the new monarchy.

The cameras never left Kate, and they liked what they saw.

-The crowds were huge.

Everyone wanted to see her.

As far as they were concerned, this is the new Diana, and it was all starting again.

-Probably a bit daunting for Catherine, because, yes, she'd experienced the wedding, but now she was experiencing the public firsthand, and she was going to be meeting them.

They were going to shake lots of hands.

They're going to be lots of selfies.

So it was quite a baptism of fire.

[ Indistinct shouting ] -It's not easy.

I think she did it, really, with a grace and composure that is a credit to her.

[ Crowd cheering ] [ Dramatic music plays ] -Thrown in at the deep end, Kate excels on her first Royal tour.

But she still has a lot to learn.

-Suddenly stepping into that role must be incredibly intimidating.

But she has Prince William by her side.

-I'll do the talking bit.

She's gonna do the fun bit.

-He will be her key adviser, helping her adjust to this whole new world.

[ Cheers and applause ] She was being educated by her husband, her father-in-law, and, also, by the Queen.

And it's not like they all go to a classroom and you have the Queen walk up and down and tell them what to do.

It doesn't work like that.

The Queen was very, very sweet.

She wouldn't be giving a lesson.

She would almost kind of just be given advice or guidance.

And she would watch the Queen.

-In the BBC documentary "The Queen At 90," Kate affectionately describes the monarch's influence.

-I feel she's been there, sort of a gentle guidance, really, for me.

I think there is a real art to walkabouts.

Everyone teases me in the family, that I spend far too long chatting, so I think I've still got to learn a little bit more and to pick up a few more tips, I suppose.

-Ultimately,she had to learn, like they all did, by going out and doing it and by trying it out and seeing how it felt.

She was able to do it in a way that made people feel like they were really having a chance to kind of have a special moment with her.

-What are you doing here?

Are you drawing?

-You really feel like you're being listened to, and she makes you feel like you're the only person there.

[ Cheers and applause ] -In her new role, Kate also has to adapt to intense scrutiny, facing a multitude of camera lenses and eager Royal fans watching her every move.

-It's extremely nerve-wracking.

You've got the eyes of the world on you.

You are suddenly the most photographed woman in the world.

Every single thing that you do is analyzed, whether it's what outfit you choose or how you do your makeup or every haircut, how you dye your hair, especially particularly looks when it comes to women.

-One of the things that Catherine learned very quickly, that she was a style icon, that everywhere she went, what she was wearing was analyzed, and she was looked upon more as a clothes horse rather than a workhorse.

-It's something that she has had to figure out along the way.

She joined the Royal Family, and it was the first time in a long time that we'd had a youthful, female energy at the front and center.

And that ability to embrace that in your clothes -- If you think about Diana when she first joined the Royal Family, a lot of the clothes that she was wearing could easily have been worn by someone 20 years her senior.

Whereas Kate never dressed to be somebody she wasn't.

I think that actually speaks a lot about her as a person and this essence of herself.

There's a down-to-earth quality there.

[ Kids chanting indistinctly ] -While style comes naturally, other demands of the role are more of a challenge.

-She definitely got a lot of advice for public speaking.

People were very aware that she was nervous about this.

It wasn't something she relished.

And I think it was even harder for her, because she hadn't made a speech, and so when she did, it became this huge deal.

-Nearly a year after becoming a princess, Kate finally makes a speech.

-First of all, I'd like to say thank you.

Thank you for not only accepting me as your patron, but thank you, also, for inviting me here today.

-She was very nervous.

She stuttered.

She fluffed her words.

I felt really sorry for her.

She's taken elocution lessons.

She's taken public-speaking lessons.

-Hello.

Thank you so much for having me here today... -Over time, actually, what she's come to realize is that just being a bit more natural with the delivery actually works better.

-A year into the new job, as Kate adapts to becoming a princess, a break in France provides a reality check.

-They were staying for a holiday at Lord Linley's place in France -- a huge distance between the public, area where she was, and she thought she was safe.

-Security that they would have had should have taken note of that.

"Don't go there, because you can be seen from the road."

And they were seen.

She was seen.

-The photographs were taken of the Duchess of Cambridge while she was on a private holiday in France.

-Sunbathing topless from a kilometer away.

Pretty grainy, but nevertheless, they got a picture.

[ Camera shutter clicks ] [ Dramatic music plays ] -In Britain, the press refuses to print the controversial photos.

But in Europe, the U.S., and across the world, Kate's topless image is published on websites and printed in newspapers and magazines.

-She shouldn't feel ashamed.

You know, it's not on her.

It's on the paparazzi selling those photographs for profit.

Shame is on them.

-You don't expect to be photographed on a private estate.

But at the end of the day, if you can be seen from a public vantage point, then it's a bit self-inflicted.

-Irish newspaper editor Mike O'Kane gives a spirited defense of his decision to print in a radio interview with RTE.

-I'm absolutely stunned that Kate Middleton would think, her being the most photographed woman in the world, I think one of the most famous people in the world, that she would expose herself topless outdoors and not expect the world to take notice of it.

-They were published, actually, when her and Prince William were on an overseas tour.

I think it was starting in Malaysia or Indonesia.

So, when they were embarking on this major tour representing UK PLC, a diplomatic tour, really important for the monarchy and for the country.

And on the day of the tour starting, these photographs were published.

I think it's absolutely disgusting.

And how they continued on that tour, with all of this going on in the background, I couldn't do it.

I think absolutely hats off to them to show their professionalism and putting duty before self when all of this is going on.

-I remember watching them as they came across this rope bridge in the middle of the Borneo jungle, and they were both very down.

You know, it obviously had an impact upon them.

I think she felt humiliated.

-That she wasn't just going to take this lying down tells you quite a lot about who she is.

-A legal battle for the Royal Family.

Prince William and Princess Kate are suing French media for more than a million dollars in damages for publishing topless photos of Kate sunbathing.

-Just over a year after becoming a princess, Kate Middleton's privacy is breached by the foreign press.

It has echoes of the threats faced by Princess Diana, as described by Prince William in a BBC documentary.

-Very sadly, a lot of my memories revolve around trying to cheer her up.

And I believe that she cried more to do with press intrusion than anything else in her life.

She was subjected to treatment that, frankly, nowadays, people would find utterly appalling.

-Kate instructs lawyers in Paris to take the publication to court.

-Clearly antagonized them so much that they were not gonna take this sitting down.

They were gonna stand up and fight for what was clearly their rights.

It took five years, but they wanted justice.

-A long and costly battle ensues.

In 2017, the court in Paris finds in favor of Kate when the publisher, editor, and photographers are fined 100,000 euros.

-What that revealed to the world about the Princess of Wales is actually, she's got inner steel, and she's not gonna be walked all over.

[ Dramatic music plays ] -One way for Kate to control her image is to commission a portrait.

-I was contacted by the National Portrait Gallery to paint the first official portrait of the Princess.

She came to our house, to the studio.

There was five builders working right opposite our house.

And the car stopped and the Princess got out, and not one of them recognized her.

And I thought that was extraordinary.

She wanted to be portrayed as her natural self, rather than in a regal, royal role.

The actual portrait took me about three months to do.

♪♪ [ Down-tempo music plays ] -Before the official reveal, Kate gets a sneak preview of her painting on display at the National Portrait Gallery.

-The response from the Princess and her family was very enthusiastic.

They all liked it very much.

-After Kate's positive review of her portrait, the painting is revealed to the press.

-The day was a bit of a merry-go-round.

And, then, in the afternoon, we became aware that there was this controversy about the portrait... which was appearing on social media.

[ Mouse clicking ] ♪♪ I found that quite difficult, I must be honest.

I didn't expect it.

-I think it's one of the most dull, predictable, safe royal portraits I've seen for a very long time.

-A lot of the criticism was quite malicious, both of the portrait and, also, of her, and I thought was really undeserved.

[ Soft music plays ] -This is Kate's first taste of public disapproval.

Being a member of the Royal Family is like no job on earth.

You're almost thrown at the deep end.

And I think it takes a certain character and personality to be able to fulfill that role.

[ Crowd cheering ] -Not long after the wedding, there is press speculation about when Kate will produce an heir.

-Those Palace pregnancy rumors, those pesky pregnancy rumors, they just won't quit.

-Behind the gates of Kensington Palace, Kate has a secret.

She's less than 12 weeks' pregnant when she falls ill and is rushed to hospital.

[ Dramatic music plays ] -Catherine suffered really badly from morning sickness.

She was rushed into hospital.

Which meant that William would have to tell the Queen and his father what was happening.

And really, that was the reason that they had to reveal the pregnancies earlier than maybe expected.

[ Suspenseful music plays ] ♪♪ -The buildup outside St.

Mary's, Paddington.

the layers and layers of media, all waiting.

I remember going there and just seeing this bank of cameras.

[ Bell ringing, indistinct shouting ] -The firstborn of Their Royal Highness, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

[ Bell ringing ] -Kate describes this moment in a podcast interview.

-What was it like knowing that so many people are outside after you've given birth and you're in your little cocoon with your new family?

-Yeah.

Slightly terrifying.

-[ Laughs ] -Slightly terrifying, I'm not gonna lie.

-[ Laughs ] -Both William and I were really conscious that, you know, this was sort of something that everyone was excited about.

And, you know, we're hugely grateful for the support.

But equally, it was coupled with a newborn baby and sort of inexperienced parents and the uncertainty about what that held.

So there was all sorts of sort of mixed emotions.

♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] [ Uplifting music plays ] ♪♪ -When she first presented Prince George to the world, she looked impeccable.

She really did.

She knew that that was a part of the job, that yes, she'd just had her first baby boy, but he was the future King of England, and this was a moment to share with the public.

[ Cheers and applause ] Here's where that modernity comes in.

She wore a dress that had a little belt that actually accentuated her bump, stepping out and being like, "Yes.

I have just had a baby.

My body has changed.

But that won't stop me from coming to work and doing my job."

And if you think about Diana, when she was pregnant, she wore a lot of really baggy clothes that kind of hid her bump.

-Yes, very emotional.

It's such a special time.

I think any parent I think would probably sort of... know what this feeling feels like.

♪♪ -I remember chaining this frame with the announcement on the gates of Buckingham Palace and hearing this enormous roar of the crowd cheering, because this is a moment of history -- a baby boy being born and he will be our next king.

♪♪ Kate's first decision as a mother raises eyebrows at the palace, breaking with the tradition that a newborn heir stays within the Royal Household.

-The Queen gave them Anmer Hall in Norfolk as a wedding present, knowing that it was going to be a bolt-hole for them, a place where they could completely retreat and escape.

And I think everyone expected that they'd go to Anmer after that, when in fact they went back to Bucklebury, to Kate's parents.

And that was really breaking the mold.

[ Soft music plays ] ♪♪ So it was not a case of having a maternity nurse and someone to take care of the baby in that respect.

It was Kate and her mother.

-They went to the Middletons to recuperate.

And I think actually... lovely.

Any girl wants to be with her mother once she's had a child.

-Their security entourage moved in.

And when you think about that first picture of them as a family, it was taken by Michael Middleton in the back garden of the family home.

So, you know, you could see that they were doing things very much on their terms.

-Kate and Prince George stay in Bucklebury for two months.

[ Dramatic music plays ] ♪♪ Not long after Prince George was born, Charles was heard complaining that he didn't actually get to see much of his grandson.

And this was quite a loaded remark, because we knew that the Middletons were seeing an awful lot of their grandson.

Carole and Mike Middleton were very much hands-on when the newborn, George, was around.

Charles much less so.

-The early marriage years and the arrival of Prince George, I think there was a sense that William was sort of embracing the Middleton side of the family far more than his own.

-What we're witnessing is a "Middleton-isation" of the Royal Family.

And what I mean here are the sort of middle-class values that the Middletons invested in their own children -- respect for authority, courtesy, sympathy, and understanding -- kind of natural things which any parent would really want to instill in their children, but something that was possibly lacking in William's own life experiences up until that stage, up until he was introduced to the Middletons.

♪♪ [ Crowd cheering ] -In 2015, the family grows with the birth of Princess Charlotte... [ Mid-tempo music plays ] ...and almost three years later the arrival of Prince Louis.

Kate continues to raise her children with the values she grew up with.

-Everything with Kate goes back to what she learned around the dining-room table with Carole and Mike Middleton.

This was a family who did things together, but who talked things through.

In the Royal Family, orders are sort of sent down on high and you're expected to follow them.

And I think with Kate, we're going to see a very different monarchy later on in this century.

It's very easy to describe this as a sort of "middle-class-isation," if you like, of the monarchy.

But that is what is happening, and I think it probably will be a good thing -- a less remote, more integrated family, people who understand the everyday issues that the rest of the country are going through.

-She is changing the way the Royal Family raises children.

She is breaking a generational narrative whereby Firm was put before family.

♪♪ -Her determination that they should adopt a real sense of caring and responsibility to other people, to the environment, to society -- you can see the way that she has instilled those values in taking the children to a baby bank to help look at toys for other children.

-Come in.

Come and see what we do!

-Here?

-Yeah, there's lots of people who give up their time, and there are lots of volunteers who come and help out.

And, so, you're the volunteers for this evening.

-Right.

Are you ready?

-Instilling in him this caring approach to society, I think is absolutely fundamental to how the monarchy will turn out.

-You can see how rewarding the work is, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Knowing that you're helping out others.

-I think it will shape our monarchy and its future and its survival in the modern world.

-While Kate raises the next generation of Royals, she's also developing a deep bond with her brother-in-law, Prince Harry.

-They had a very, very close relationship at that time.

He really looked to Kate almost as a sisterly figure.

-She was an incredibly encouraging figure around him when he was having all sorts of doubts about his life, his romances.

-Like William, Harry is drawn to the stable, family life.

-He wanted his own wife and children.

He looked at what his brother had and really wanted that.

-He would always be with them every weekend.

I think they provided a sort of safe space for him.

You really see their connection, the three of them.

They were sort of a very, very close-knit group.

-But a new arrival threatens Kate's domestic bliss.

-William, Catherine, and Harry were working very closely together.

But, then, the fourth figure arrived.

So this put the cat amongst the pigeons.

[ Dramatic music plays ] -Well, we have some good news out of London, where Clarence House has announced the engagement of Prince Harry to American actress Meghan Markle.

-William and I are absolutely thrilled.

It's such exciting news.

It's a really happy time for any couple, and we wish them all the best.

[ Dramatic music plays ] -Harry was the eternal bachelor prince, the royal rebel.

He finds this woman.

He falls madly in love with her.

She's successful, she's American, she's an actress, We haven't sort of had this sort of a foursome since the days of Charles and Diana and Sarah and Andrew.

[ Camera shutters clicking ] That idea of this new Fab Four is incredibly appealing.

That's a snapshot of what the future's going to look like, and doesn't it look bright?

-At the Fab Four's first official engagement, Meghan joins the charity foundation previously led by Kate, William, and Harry.

-It was the moment that three officially became four.

And it was inevitable that Meghan would be center stage.

-Because of that togetherness, because you had so many different organizations under this umbrella, and each of them shining this spotlight on it... -She put both William and Harry to shame in the way she delivered her speech, with the poise and professionalism of a trained actress.

Catherine got the hierarchical situation, whereas Meghan really didn't.

-Four heads are better than one.

-Well, and thank goodness.

We're such differing personalities, and that everyone's very communicative, because that's how you can really see bigger change.

-She didn't seem to get the hierarchy.

-William was obviously the main man, but, then, she took the role.

And I think that they all thought, "Well, hang on.

We were here before you, and you're taking over."

Now, that may be wrong, but there was definitely some friction there.

You could see it in the room.

-And I have to ask you, all the work you do together is great, but working together as family, do you ever have disagreements about things?

[ Both laugh ] -Oh, yes.

[ Laughter ] -Healthy -- Healthy disagreements.

Okay.

The last thing you disagreed on, how did you resolve it?

-Uh...I can't remember.

They come so thick and fast.

[ Laughter ] -Is it resolved?

We don't know.

-Oh, we don't know!

Well, you're putting on a great show if it's not.

-No, but I think it's really good that we've got, you know... -One wondered what this meant about the dynamic behind the scenes.

And what we now know is that William had been cautioning his brother to slow down.

He was rushing headlong into marriage.

"Take a leaf out of my book, old boy.

I took 10 years."

-Harry was very keen for Kate to sort of fall in love with Meghan.

I mean, he adored Kate and really wanted her approval.

But... they are very, very different people.

-Meghan Markle is born and bred out of the entertainment scene in Hollywood.

She knows what it takes to deliver to the media.

-Give me that gorgeous smile.

There it is!

[ Indistinct shouting ] -In Los Angeles, it's all focused around Hollywood.

It's all focused around fame.

Everyone's very aggressive about that.

And I think that Meghan's experience doing "Suits" and being an actress, climbing up the ladder, you've got to be quite pushy.

And of course that doesn't really resonate with the Brits as much.

We don't do things in the same way, particularly in the sphere of the Royal Family, which is obviously so uniquely British.

The difference between Kate and Meghan is absolutely clear-cut.

[ Crowd cheering ] -Kate comes from a British background, grows up in the country, has adopted a role as a member of the Royal Family, whereas Meghan was a Hollywood actress.

The two women come from very different backgrounds and were never expected to be friends.

♪♪ [ Down-tempo music plays ] ♪♪ -Like it or not, it's getting very hard in Windsor to avoid the preparations for the royal wedding, be that the bunting on every street, the red, white, and blue in the shopfronts, or the newly tarmacked roads.

There will be no potholes for Harry and Meghan's carriage.

-Whilst the wedding preparations look picture-perfect on the outside, things are not running so smoothly inside the palace.

-The run-up to Harry and Meghan's wedding was very fraught.

Behind the scenes, it was all unraveling.

-Catherine's just given birth, and Meghan's about to get married to Prince Harry.

I mean, this is a very volatile situation.

-Charlotte's a bridesmaid.

George is a page.

There's a big hoo-ha over the length of the bridesmaids' dresses -- all the norm, I suppose, for the buildup to a royal wedding.

But not particularly helpful for Kate and Meghan, who are certainly for Harry trying to have some sort of a friendship.

-The Duchess of Cambridge, the mum's helping the bridesmaids.

Simple bridesmaids' dresses.

The dresses didn't really fit the bridesmaids properly, and both women brought this up to the designer.

But there was some disagreement that upset Meghan, and Catherine, who had just given birth to Prince Louis and was quite emotional, went round to Meghan's to apologize with flowers.

[ Crowd cheering ] -After the wedding, the story is leaked to a newspaper, which reports that Kate had been left in tears.

-It was embarrassing for her, because it's her daughter, Charlotte, suddenly becoming the center of a story -- you know, private, personal, involving a child.

It's the sort of airing of dirty linen that Kate would find very, very unsavory.

[ Crowd cheering ] ♪♪ [ Mid-tempo music plays ] ♪♪ -Since their engagement, Meghan and Harry have been living at Kensington Palace with Kate and William.

But behind the gates, divisions grow.

-William was in charge of everybody at Kensington Palace, so Harry and Meghan's staff reported to William.

Kate started to hear about, very early, e-mails, demands being made about this or that.

Some female member of staff had the temerity to give Harry a Christmas present and was dressed down by Meghan.

-Kate took it very personally, because these were staff that her and William have had for years.

You know, they love them.

♪♪ -You could see things falling apart.

Everybody wanted this soap opera.

-These four young people who are seen to represent all our futures suddenly were no longer close, were no longer even on speaking terms.

-You were then seeing sides being taken around who they liked and who they didn't.

And I'm afraid Meghan fitted a role -- the wicked, pantomime princess that was taking on Snow White.

-This sort of power struggle seemed to emerge between the two camps.

-Harry and Meghan felt Kate and William's office were briefing against them.

I cannot speak for other journalists, but in my experience, their office bent over backwards not to.

-Kate's response to it was to make sure that there was no active briefing against Meghan.

Her way has always been to rise above it, to keep calm and carry on.

And she surrounds herself with a very select group of loyal friends who never talk.

-But Kate's silence isn't enough to prevent a shocking decision.

-After spending the holidays in Canada, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are back home in England.

And today, they shocked the world with a bombshell announcement.

[ Crowd cheering ] -Harry and Meghan are stepping back from royal life and setting up a new home in North America.

-Harry and Meghan choosing to leave the Royal Family was essentially forcing William and Kate, with three very young children, to step up, in a way that they just weren't yet expecting.

-More and more has fallen on her slim shoulders, and the expectation has risen almost too much, it seems to me.

-How did Kate respond to that pressure?

How she responds to anything.

She steps up, she rises to the occasion, and she just gets on with it.

[ Crowd cheering ] As Meghan steps back, Kate steps forward, ramping up her charity work.

But as things appear to be settling down, Kate's life is suddenly thrown into turmoil once more by an explosive interview.

-Whoa!

-50 million viewers worldwide tune in to hear Prince Harry and Meghan talk with U.S.

chat-show host Oprah Winfrey.

-More than a bump.

So, rumors about you being "Hurricane Meghan" for the departure of several high-profile Palace staff members.

-Okay.

-And there was also a story -- did you hear this one?

-- about you making Kate Middleton cry?

-No.

The reverse happened.

And I don't say that to be disparaging to anyone, because it was a really hard week of the wedding, and she was upset about something.

But she owned it, and she apologized, and she brought me flowers and a note apologizing.

-And there was a confrontation over the dresses.

-There wasn't a confrontation.

And I actually think it's... I don't think it's fair to her to get into the details of that because she apologized... -Okay.

-...and I've forgiven her.

-Oprah never questioned any of the claims that were made.

I thought it was one of the worst pieces of journalism I've ever seen.

-As the interview continues, Meghan makes a damaging allegation relating to her unborn son.

-He won't be given security.

He's not gonna be given a title.

And, also, concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born.

-What?!

There is a conversation -- Hold up, hold up.

-There are several conversations.

-There's a conversation with you... -With Harry.

-...about how dark your baby is going to be?

-Potentially.

And what that would mean or look like.

-Hoo.

And you're not gonna tell me who had the conversation?

-I think that would be very damaging to them.

-Okay.

[ Dramatic music plays ] -There was all sorts of speculation as to who these people might be.

-This is clearly a huge story.

The telephones would be going off the hook.

-Meanwhile, the tabloids are also weighing in.

Some headlines say it is the worst crisis the monarchy has faced in decades.

-You're almost in a bunker, and you just want to draw up, you know, the drawbridge.

-The alleged racist comments just blew open a huge race row, not just here in Britain, but around the world.

And that was just so incredibly damaging.

-Is the Royal Family a racist family, sir?

-The Queen is breaking her silence in the wake of Oprah Winfrey's bombshell interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Buckingham Palace released a statement on behalf of the Queen saying... "While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately."

-Buckingham Palace is forced to respond to the allegation of racism made by Harry and Meghan in the Oprah interview, breaking with the Queen's tradition of "never explain."

-There was quite a significant pushback against Harry and Meghan's narrative, and the phrase that was really seized on as doing that job was this phrase, "Recollections may vary."

It just sowed this seed of doubt in people's minds about what Harry and Meghan had said.

-You're pretty much calling someone a liar.

You know, you're putting it, "That's not true.

That's not my perspective."

-It was actually Kate who played a very key role in coming up with this phrase.

The fact that she has such a prominent voice for such a monumentous statement is testament to the power that she had and the trust she gained with the Queen.

[ Camera shutters clicking ] -It wasn't easy for Kate behind the scenes, with everything that was going on.

-They may be sort of public figures, but they're also a family.

They've got their own sort of personal problems, as well.

-Kate now finds herself juggling the broken bond between William and Harry and nurturing the relationship with William and his father.

The two men haven't always been close.

-I think "tricky" would be the best way to describe the relationship.

I mean, it is up and down.

[ Dramatic music plays ] ♪♪ The fact is, Charles was always closer to Harry when his sons were growing up and had a much more strained relationship with his heir, William.

They've both got trigger tempers.

They can fly off the handle.

-Kate has been the conduit to ease and help that relationship.

-I think Kate has strategized this whole situation.

Seeing a yawning gap between the King and his son, she knows that that is not good for the well-being of the monarchy.

And I think Kate has been fantastic at building bridges.

♪♪ -A month has passed since the Oprah interview, and as the Royal Family returned to an even keel, they're struck by another blow.

-You're watching BBC News.

We have just received a statement from Buckingham Palace confirming that the Duke of Edinburgh has died.

[ Down-tempo music plays ] -The loss of the Duke of Edinburgh, who was just such a uniting figure, changed the dynamic a lot for the Royal Family.

-When Harry flies home for the funeral, there are hopes of a reconciliation.

The brothers clearly had not been speaking.

-After the bombshell Oprah interview, the tensions were, you know, very, very high.

-Kate takes on the role of peacemaker.

♪♪ -She was very keen to try and see William and Harry patch things up and sort this fractured relationship out.

-You see her power and her role.

She brings people together.

She doesn't like conflict.

It's this complete, yeah, peacemaker role.

And you see her really orchestrating that conversation between the two brothers.

-This was the first time they'd come together, and you actually saw her almost physically bring them together so that they could have a conversation.

And I don't think that was just for the cameras, either.

I think that was so that the ice was broken.

-Kate had seized an opportunity to allow her husband and her brother-in-law perhaps to try and find some common ground and sort of pull back from the brink.

Despite Kate's best efforts, it isn't enough.

-Rather than be reunited, the brothers quarreled.

They quarreled in front of their father.

Their father begged for peace.

He said he didn't want this terrible row between the two of them.

He begged them to try and sort things out.

But that clearly wasn't gonna happen.

♪♪ -There are two images from the funeral that really just hit home with the public.

-One of them was Catherine in the car.

The eyes are looking directly at you, and it's just this sort of "wow" moment of her coming into her power.

It's one of the most stunning images of Catherine.

Very solemn, too.

But just the strength that's exuded from it.

And then we have, of course, the fragility of the late Queen, alone, because of all the restrictions that were in place at the time.

In the aftermath of the funeral, Kate realizes there is something she can do for the Queen in her time of mourning.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] For her annual Christmas carol concert, she decides to perform the song "For Those Who Can't Be Here" in Philip's memory.

She recruits the song's writer, Tom Walker, and puts in a call to an old friend in Bucklebury.

-I was giving a lesson in my music room, and my wife took a call from somebody saying, "Hello.

My name's Catherine.

I think you know my parents, who live near you."

And, then, after a few seconds, Sandra realized who she was talking to and said, "I think he'll come and talk to you.

It's fine."

It was lovely that she chose me to do the arrangement for her.

She could have gone to Elton John, but she came to me because it's a normal thing for her.

[ Tom Walker's "For Those Who Can't Be Here" plays ] ♪♪ ♪ Put the lights up on the tree ♪ ♪ All the presents underneath ♪ -It was amazing.

I think it was amazing that she did it.

That was the fantastic thing.

I mean, she was miles out of her comfort zone.

But the very fact that she was prepared to play the piano in front of an audience which she knew would be worldwide millions I think was an amazing achievement.

♪ Praying no one rocks the boat ♪ -And, then, she sat down and played the piano.

It was genuinely amazing.

I was so impressed.

I didn't know she was that good.

And it was a really quite difficult piece of music.

♪♪ -♪ For those who can't be here ♪ -We have seen this evolution of her allowing us in just that little bit more.

And good on her.

I was very impressed at her confidence, and good on her for doing that.

-♪ For those who can't be here ♪ -The Royal Family suffers a tragic loss.

-The death of Queen Elizabeth not only changed everything for the monarchy, but it particular changed everything for Princess Kate.

-Now she really is queen in waiting.

-Kate deals with a devastating betrayal of trust.

-"Spare" was hugely damaging.

It's the first time Kate was really pulled into the drama.

-And she faces her biggest personal challenge.

-There was absolutely no sense of what was to come.

-In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London.

The tests after the operation found cancer had been present.

[ Dramatic music plays ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪