Royal Expert Breaks Down Kate Middleton & Camilla's Secret Balcony Moment

It's no secret that Catherine, Princess of Wales, hasn't always had the best relationship with her stepmother-in-law, Queen Camilla. When Kate Middleton joined the royal family by marrying William, Prince of Wales, she found herself in the middle of what was already a messy dynamic, given the affair between Camilla and William's father, King Charles III, and the now-king's divorce from William's mother, Princess Diana. To make matters worse, Camilla reportedly disapproved of William and Kate's relationship at first, owing to Kate's (relatively) lower economic status. She's also reportedly hesitant to pass her queenly duties on to Kate when William becomes king. However, the truth about Kate and Camilla's relationship is that the two have evidently warmed up to each other over time, forming a tight-knit bond (despite any supposed tension). This was on display at the 2025 National Service of Remembrance, during which the current and future queen appeared to share a moment while perched atop a balcony. So we asked a royal expert for their take on the interaction.

At one point during the remembrance ceremony, Kate and Camilla seemed to share a private joke, with the two exchanging smiles and Camilla covering her mouth to hide what she was saying from the cameras. As Brittany Provance, Royal News Network's editor-in-chief, told us, "It's apparent that Queen Camilla and Catherine, The Princess of Wales have developed a warm relationship over the years. Would I say that they're best friends, of course not, but their shared destiny and the constraints of royal life have resulted in them finding common ground." Provance added, "Camilla is also the closest Catherine has to a mother-in-law, so they have appeared to develop a good rapport and share a level of confidence given their positions within the family."

Royal expert Brittany Provance noted that while we'll likely never know what Kate Middleton and Queen Camilla said to each other at the National Service of Remembrance, we also don't really need to. "For a royal, they know that the cameras are always on them during major events. But obviously, like anyone, there can be moments of levity during even the most somber of occasions," Provance said. "While I doubt there was too much to Camilla's comment, it's not the first time that the women have shared a bit of a smile during Remembrance Sunday," she continued, pointing to the time that Kate, Camilla, and others shared a small laugh on the balcony in 2011. "That definitely did get royal watchers talking at the time, but a warm smile between the pair is not really anything of note," Provance declared.

Still, it's little moments like this that can tell us a lot about just where Camilla and Kate stand. "It's a lovely thing to see, considering that it could have been a very antagonistic relationship given the toxic collapse of Princess Diana's and King Charles' marriage," she explained. "It's likely thanks to Prince William and how he's dealt with his parents' divorce that has resulted in this good relationship that benefits not only the adults but the Waleses' children as well." Notably, the relationship between Camilla and William and Kate's children is said to be one defined by clear boundaries. According to royal biographer Angela Levin, per the Daily Express, while Camilla is a fan of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, William does not consider his stepmother to be their grandmother.

The dynamic between the members of the royal family is certainly complicated, but Kate Middleton's willingness to mend fences with her stepmother-in-law, Queen Camilla, despite their rocky start has evidently made her a key pillar in keeping things copacetic within the House of Windsor. Speaking to Us Weekly in 2024, an anonymous family friend of Camilla's explained that Kate plays a big part in the reason why Prince William's relationship with his stepmother is as strong as it is today. "It was really Kate who warmed William to Camilla," they said, adding, "She's never been dismissive of Camilla and always treated her with kindness."

The friend added that, despite the aforementioned reports that Camilla didn't think Kate was of high enough social status to marry William at first, the two actually have a lot in common. "[Kate] likes [Camilla] because she brings a real-life relatability into the family. She's not all about the courtiers waiting on hand and foot. Camilla's real like Kate is," they claimed. A separate source told the outlet William's brother, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepping away from the royal family also played a significant role in the Wales' efforts to form a stronger bond with the present queen. "William and Kate don't want any extra drama or tension in the family — they have enough of that with Meghan and Harry," they said.

Then, of course, there were Kate and King Charles III's respective cancer diagnoses, which gave William and Camilla a shared struggle. Speaking to Fox News Digital in 2024, royal expert Ian Pelham Turner speculated that seeing Camilla step up to the plate gave William a newfound respect for his stepmother.