Kate Middleton Loses Close Royal Family Ally Following A Divorce Announcement

Kate Middleton is reportedly sad over a royal divorce. Prince William's cousin Peter Phillips and his wife Autumn, are ending their marriage after nearly 12 years together.

According to reports, the royal split is affecting Kate since Autumn is one of her closest ally in the royal family. Royal expert Angela Mollard said that Autumn is one of the people the Duchess of Cambridge trusts to be direct and to remain her constant good friend.

As it is, insiders said that Kate is having bouts of anxiety because of the changes in the royal family. She also barely takes a break as her mind is constantly on edge. With Autumn divorcing Peter, who else will pacify the Duchess of Cambridge?

Despite the royal divorce, however, Autumn stated that she would not be bolting out of the U.K. Autumn, who is Canadian by birth, still has family in Canada but she said, in announcing the divorce, that she will be remaining in the U.K. so that she and Peter can co-parent their daughters, Savannah and Isla.

Autumn's brother, Kevin, also told the press that it's his sister's desire to stay in England. The family denied reports that Autumn will follow in the footsteps of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have decided to uproot their lives in Canada as they step back as royals.

It's unclear, however, if Autumn will still be part of royal family affairs such as the holidays in Sandringham and Balmoral, Trooping the Colour, or Commonwealth Day. It's also unclear if she will be at the wedding of Princess Beatrice, the cousin of her husband, on May 29.

Peter and Autumn married in 2008 in Windsor. Kate attended the royal wedding without Prince William. According to reports, Prince William and Kate were still dating at that time, but he had to be on a trip for a long-standing prior engagement, so he missed his cousin's wedding. Sources said that Prince William spoke to Peter ahead of his wedding and said that his girlfriend would be going in his place.

Meanwhile, sources told Vanity Fair that Peter and Autumn's divorce had been in discussions for a while despite rumors that he was blindsided. There are no third parties involved, but the couple grew apart.

Peter is Queen Elizabeth's first grandson. When he was born in 1977, he was the fifth in line to the throne, but now he is the 15th in line after his mother.