diff --git a/src/widgets/kernel/qapplication.cpp b/src/widgets/kernel/qapplication.cpp
index f19a9d2e8ee..3fe3c6951f6 100644
--- a/src/widgets/kernel/qapplication.cpp
+++ b/src/widgets/kernel/qapplication.cpp
@@ -2556,8 +2556,7 @@ QWidget *QApplication::desktop(QScreen *screen)
     }
     if (!screen)
         return qt_desktopWidget;
-    QDesktopWidgetPrivate *dwp = static_cast<QDesktopWidgetPrivate*>(qt_widget_private(qt_desktopWidget));
-    return dwp->widgetForScreen(screen);
+    return qt_desktopWidget->widgetForScreen(screen);
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/src/widgets/kernel/qdesktopwidget.cpp b/src/widgets/kernel/qdesktopwidget.cpp
index db8c33c4980..5c781222e16 100644
--- a/src/widgets/kernel/qdesktopwidget.cpp
+++ b/src/widgets/kernel/qdesktopwidget.cpp
@@ -107,6 +107,17 @@ QDesktopWidget::QDesktopWidget()
 
 QDesktopWidget::~QDesktopWidget() = default;
 
+/*!
+    \internal
+    Returns the Qt::Desktop type widget for \a qScreen.
+*/
+QWidget *QDesktopWidget::widgetForScreen(QScreen *qScreen) const
+{
+    Q_D(const QDesktopWidget);
+    return d->screenWidgets.value(qScreen);
+}
+
+
 QT_END_NAMESPACE
 
 #include "moc_qdesktopwidget_p.cpp"
diff --git a/src/widgets/kernel/qdesktopwidget_p.h b/src/widgets/kernel/qdesktopwidget_p.h
index c17036b9d0a..5e8c2560406 100644
--- a/src/widgets/kernel/qdesktopwidget_p.h
+++ b/src/widgets/kernel/qdesktopwidget_p.h
@@ -68,25 +68,20 @@ public:
     QDesktopWidget();
     ~QDesktopWidget();
 
+    QWidget *widgetForScreen(QScreen *qScreen) const;
 
 private:
     Q_DISABLE_COPY(QDesktopWidget)
     Q_DECLARE_PRIVATE(QDesktopWidget)
-
-    friend class QApplication;
-    friend class QApplicationPrivate;
 };
 
-class QDesktopWidgetPrivate : public QWidgetPrivate {
+class QDesktopWidgetPrivate : public QWidgetPrivate
+{
     Q_DECLARE_PUBLIC(QDesktopWidget)
 
 public:
     ~QDesktopWidgetPrivate();
     void updateScreens();
-    QWidget *widgetForScreen(QScreen *qScreen) const
-    {
-        return screenWidgets.value(qScreen);
-    }
 
     QFlatMap<QScreen*, QWidget*> screenWidgets;
 };