William's helping hand for Carole: Prince shows he is a true gentleman as he helps Kate's mother when she gets her heel stuck in Ascot turf

Prince William showed he is a true gentleman as he rescued Kate's mother after her heel got stuck in the grass at Royal Ascot today.

The Prince of Wales, 41, shared a tender moment with Carole Middleton, who was making her first public appearance since her daughter's cancer diagnosis. 

In touching photos from day two of Royal Ascot, William was seen offering a hand of support for his mother-in-law to grab onto after the heel of her right shoe got trapped in the turf.

Carole was seen having her very own Cinderella moment as her foot slipped out of her heel which was left behind in the ground, but she luckily had a charming prince on hand.

The pair were seen laughing off the shoe mishap as they walked off together and joined other guests.

During a packed second day at Royal Ascot, William - who was attending Ascot without the Princess of Wales - was spotted deep in conversation with Carole, Kate's father Michael and Zara Tindall. 

The Prince of Wales arrived at Royal Ascot - the crown jewel of racing - with Queen Camilla in what was a rare joint outing at a social occasion.

At one point, Prince William's relationship with his stepmother was so bad that he allegedly 'begged' his father not to marry her.

Prince Harry famously claimed in his bombshell memoir Spare that he and William  pleaded with King Charles not to tie the knot with 'wicked stepmother' Camilla.

But today, the pair looked at ease as they sat with the Earl and Countess of Halifax during the traditional royal carriage procession.

It was the first time that Camilla and William have teamed up since they led senior royals at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in March.

But whilst that was an official engagement, Ascot is not on the roster of duties and so will be seen by royal watchers as a sign of how well William and the Queen now get on.

They were joined by royals including Zara and Mike Tindall and Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, who are today celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary.

Carole and Michael Middleton beamed as they arrived side-by-side for the prestigious event at the Berkshire racecourse. 

Kate, who is continuing her cancer treatment, was not present despite making a welcome appearance at Trooping the Colour at the weekend. 

She revealed in a statement on Friday she is making 'good progress' in her treatment but candidly said she has 'good days and bad days' and although there has been some limited working from home, she stressed 'I am not out of the woods yet'. 

The Duchess of York and her daughters Eugenie and Beatrice, along with Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, also delighted crowds. 

King Charles - who is continuing his own cancer treatment - did not repeat yesterday's appearance and instead focused on holding audiences at Buckingham Palace.  

William's relationship with Camilla stretches back to the trauma of his childhood.

King Charles embarked on an affair with her in the late 1980s, when he was still married to Princess Diana. 

The couple's romance remained low-key until after Diana's death in a car crash in Paris in 1997 - the year after she and Charles had divorced. 

Camilla had been seeing Charles when she was still married to first husband Andrew Parker Bowles. They divorced in 1995.   

In Spare, Harry likened Camilla to a 'wicked stepmother' and even accused her of leaking stories about him through a palace spin doctor.

However, when Charles and Camilla did get married in April 2005, both William and Harry were present at the ceremony. 

In march, William and Camilla shared a giggle when they were joined by Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh for Commonwealth Day.

It was a far cry from their strained appearances in previous years.

Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank were in another carriage, and when the procession reached the parade ring, Zara was waiting to greet them all.

Other guests included Andrew Lloyd Webber who was made a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter during a ceremony at Windsor Castle on Monday, attended by the King and Queen and other senior royals.

Theatre impresario Lord Lloyd-Webber, whose hit musicals include The Phantom Of The Opera, Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar and Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, was joined by his wife.

The Middletons also made their way into the ring to mingle with other guess from the royal box.

In March, Carole was pictured driving a 4x4 Audi, with Kate in the passenger seat, near Windsor Castle. The images were published by US gossip website TMZ.

Then in April, William was spotted on a 'low key' pub outing in Norfolk with his mother-in-law, while his wife stayed at home, The Daily Mail's Richard Eden reported. Carole was said to be staying with the couple over Easter.

For today's appearance, Carole looked effortlessly elegant in her all blue ensemble as she joined her equally sophisticated husband at Ascot.

Her floral dress appeared reminiscent of Kate's £1,275 blue lace creation by Elie Saab, which she first wore to Royal Ascot in 2019. It also featured a dainty bow and pleated detailing.

Royal Ascot, the jewel in the crown of the UK racing calendar, started yesterday with the Queen Anne Stakes and will run until Saturday. 

Yesterday, the King and Queen joined punters at the famous race meeting.

Lady Gabriella Windsor, who lost her husband earlier this year, was also present. 

Charles and Camilla took on the late Queen's thoroughbreds and have entered a string of horses at the race. 

The late Queen was a passionate owner and breeder of thoroughbreds, and had more than 20 Royal Ascot winners during her 70-year reign.