Meanwhile, Princess Anne passed on a kiss from Princess Kate due to her large hat
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NEED TO KNOW
- Kate Middleton greeted her father-in-law, King Charles, with a curtsy and a kiss at the Commonwealth Day service
- Members of the royal family were filmed exchanging warm hellos despite the recent scandal surrounding the former Prince Andrew
- Their sweet greetings are a sign of King Charles and Princess Kate’s bond
Kate Middleton and King Charles' close bond was on display as they greeted each other at a staple on the royal calendar.
In the biggest gathering of British royals since the former Prince Andrew was arrested last month, members of the family gathered at the Commonwealth Day service at London's Westminster Abbey on Monday, March 9. Despite the recent scandal, the royals greeted each other with smiles and warm gestures, as seen in videos captured by royal reporter Rebecca English of the Daily Mail.
Royals arrived at the event separately before saying hello to each other just inside. Prince William was seen giving kisses on the cheek to his aunt Princess Anne and shaking hands with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence. While Princess Kate also approached Sir Tim with a kiss on the cheek, English wrote on X that there was "quite a bit of joking amongst the ladies about whether they should kiss given the size of their hats. Princess Anne made clear she wasn’t even going to try." Instead, Kate placed her hand on Anne's arm as they smiled and chatted.
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King Charles, 77, and Queen Camilla, 78, arrived last. Prince William, 43, was the first family member to greet his father, approaching with a kiss on each cheek. William then greeted Camilla with a kiss.
Princess Kate, 43, was next and dipped into a curtsy after giving her father-in-law a kiss on the cheek. The Princess of Wales did a second curtsy to say hello to Queen Camilla.
Princess Anne, 75, also appeared to say hello to King Charles with a small curtsy, putting one leg behind the other as she welcomed her brother.
After exchanging greetings, the members of the royal family lined up for the procession, led by King Charles and Queen Camilla.
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Despite her own royal status, the Princess of Wales is often spotted dipping into a curtsy as a sign of respect to King Charles and Queen Camilla. All members of the royal family, including those with His/Her Royal Highness titles, are known to bow or curtsy to the monarch and his wife when greeting them for the first time in a while — and even the King's children follow suit.
Traditionally, women curtsy while men bow their heads when meeting a member of the royal family. However, it's also perfectly acceptable to take a less formal route and simply shake hands when being introduced to a royal.
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Their warm greetings are a sign of Princess Kate and King Charles' bond. The monarch referred to Kate as "my beloved daughter-in-law" while speaking at a state banquet in Kenya in October 2023, recounting how Prince William proposed to Kate in the country in 2010.
Their connection has been made stronger in recent years as they both received cancer diagnoses in 2024 and royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith told PEOPLE that year that King Charles "has always had a very good bond" with Kate.
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"I don’t think it is presumptuous to say that she is like the daughter he never had," she continued. "He shares with William an impulse to protect her. They are in this together, Kate and the King."
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