King Charles and Kate Middleton have “strengthened their bond” over the last year, however, the monarch still refuses to speak with her about her future as queen.

Kate Middleton might be the “glue” between Prince William and King Charles when tensions get high, but that doesn’t mean Charles is ready to talk to his daughter-in-law about her becoming queen when the time comes.

Royal author Christopher Andersen told Fox News that Middleton and Charles have “strengthened their bond” over “their shared cancer battle,” and the king is “so impressed with her grace and grit” that he even honored Middleton with a Royal Companion of Honour, which “an unmistakable sign of his faith in her ability to help carry the monarchy forward.” However, he still refuses to speak about the future and Kate and William’s eventual ascension to the throne.

“The king is not about to be giving Kate advice about being a future queen,” Anderson told the outlet. “That would simply give oxygen to the notion that he might not be around much longer, and Charles III intends to stay put on the throne for years to come.”

Queen Camilla is also on the same page as Charles and “has not felt compelled to speak with Kate about what it’s like to be queen. While Charles is fond of Kate, the best that can be said about the current queen and the next one is that they have a grudging respect for each other.