HELPING HER HEAL KATE'S INNER CIRCLE MEET THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS THAT THE PRINCESS CAN COUNT ON

As the Princess of Wales undergoes cancer treatment, her loved ones will be rallying around her.

- SUZANNE WINTROB

The 42-year-old mother of three has a strong support network in place, led by her devoted parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, and her siblings, Pippa, 40, and James, 36.

"Over the years, we have climbed many mountains together. As a family, we will climb this one with you, too," James posted on Instagram after Kate's announcement, sharing a touching throwback photo of the two of them as children.

Kate's zeal (shared by William) to give her children as normal an upbringing as possible stems from her own childhood in Bucklebury, where she grew up with close-knit parents and siblings who supported one another unconditionally - and still do (Carole, 69, was photographed driving her elder daughter last month as she recuperated from her abdominal surgery).

"Kate's got a very, very close family," William noted in the couple's 2010 engagement interview. "I get on really well with them, and I'm very lucky that they've been so supportive.