Prince William recently opened up about the importance of family in his life, during which he also shared sweet insights about his in-laws, the Middleton family.

The Duke of Cambridge, who is currently on a mini-tour of Scotland, made the comments when he joined the emergency service heroes on Saturday to watch the Scottish Cup Final at The Cold House in Edinburgh. While thanking the first responders for the work they have done during the coronavirus pandemic, William asked them how they kept in touch with their families during the lockdown, reports The Sun.

The 38-year-old said about his own experience, "The funny thing is when I spoke to my family I found it so good to catch up but then you haven't anything to catch up on because no one had done anything."

When one guest revealed that they had not seen their in-laws for a year, the British royal joked, "Some people are quite happy they haven't seen their in-laws for a year."

After some laughter, William quickly clarified that this wasn't the case with him, as he is fond of the family of his wife Kate Middleton. He said: "I love my in-laws."

Royal experts have previously speculated that the Middletons hold a special place in the future King's life as they provide him a "sense of normality." Katie Nicholl told OK! magazine about the royal's equation with his in-laws, "The Middletons have always been that anchor for Kate and William. It's a real sense of normality amid any chaos. William has always loved spending time with all the Middletons as it's his escapism."

Spending time with the Middletons- namely his father-in-law Michael, mother-in-law Carole, sister-in-law Pippa, and brother-in-law James, has also influenced the upbringing of his and Kate's three children- Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, six, and Prince Louis, three.

"William has found weekends away with them so relaxing. It's a close-knit family and more than anything, they're very normal. It's the family dynamic he wished he'd had growing up and it's how he's trying to raise his own kids," Nicholl explained.

Official photographs of the Royal Wedding.
Britain's Prince William and his bride Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (C), pose for an official photograph, with their families, on the day of their wedding, in the throne room at Buckingham Palace, in central London April 29, 2011. (Front row L-R) Grace van Cutsem, Eliza Lopes, Prince Philip, Britain's Queen Elizabeth, Margarita Armstrong-Jones, Louise Windsor, William Lowther-Pinkerton. (Back Row L-R) Tom Pettifer, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Michael Middleton, Carole Middleton, James Middleton, Pippa Middleton. Photograph taken on April 29, 2011. Reuters.