The King personally awarded the Princess of Wales a new title in recognition of her years of public service.
Kate, 42, who is undergoing cancer treatment, is the first recipient of The Royal Companion Award from the Order of the Companions of Honour.
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It comes amid a growing closeness between the King and Kate, who The Sun revealed shared a lunch at Windsor Castle last month following the cancer shock.
But the gong is said to have been personally chosen by the king because of the “esteem in which she is held” and “recognition for taking on more responsibilities” since becoming Princess of Wales.
The honorary title places her as the most senior member of the regular holders of the Order of the Companion of Honor, such as Sir Paul McCartney and Sir David Attenborough.
Others include JK Rowling, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Dame Vera Lynn, Sir Elton John and Winston Churchill.
It turns out that King Charles, 76, also makes the Queen, 76, Grand Master and First or Principal Lady Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
Prince William, 41, was named Grand Master of the Honorable Order of the Bath, taking on the title held by his father until he became King.
The Duchess of Gloucester, 77, is one of four new Companions of the Order of the Garter, as a reward for her long service.
The other three are the Air Marshal, Lord Peach, Lord Kakkar and Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber, all to be Knights Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
It is traditional for the King to announce honorary gongs like this to be presented on Saint George’s Day.
A royal source said: “It is recognition and reward for the service and work that the Prince, Princess, Queen and Duchess have contributed to public life, even more so since accession.”
The Order of Companions of Honor was founded by King George V in 1917 to recognize outstanding achievements in the arts, sciences, medicine and public service.
Kate has always had a love of the arts and photography and her subject “Angels from Heaven: A Photographic Interpretation of Lewis Carroll’s Childhood” was presented as part of her Masters degree at the University of St Andrews.
The order’s motto is “In faithful action and clear honor.”
Today’s awards – which also include new members of the Order of the Garter, which is the highest chivalric award dating back 700 years and is inspired by Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table – are personal gifts from the King.
Kate missed out on being named Order of the Garter, although the role went to the Duchess of Gloucester.
The Order of the Garter is Britain’s oldest and oldest Order of Chivalry and is celebrated each year with a procession and church service in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Kate, although not a member, has attended for the past 15 years riding in a carriage with Prince William, who is Knight of the Garter.
Disgraced Prince Andrew, 64, remains a Knight of the Garter but has been banned from the last two public processions after paying millions of pounds to Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she was trafficked for sex with the royals by the late billionaire pedo Jeffrey Epstein.
William was awarded the Grand Master of the Honorable Order of the Bath, which was created by King George I in 1725 and is awarded to members of the military or civil service for exemplary service.
The Queen is Grand Master and First Lady Principal of the Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and previous holders include Prince Philip from 1953 to 2021.
The Order of the British Empire was established by King George V in 1917 to honor a wider sector of society, both military and civilian.
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