4 Royal Moments That Seemingly Revealed Tension Between Princess Kate and Queen Camilla

Princess Kate and Queen Camilla have shared many warm moments in public, but a few interactions have left royal watchers wondering if everything is quite as smooth between them behind closed doors. These small exchanges have since been dissected and led to speculation about the relationship between the future queen and the woman who holds the title today. As per Ok! magazine, a senior royal source once described the situation as the “fiercest clash” between two senior royal women in years, claiming Camilla felt sidelined by Kate’s growing visibility.

A particularly awkward moment between Kate and Camilla happened during Donald and Melania Trump’s state visit to Windsor Castle in September 2025. The Princess of Wales was chatting with Melania when the Queen made a sweeping hand gesture. Kate then stepped away and went back towards Prince William. The incident quickly caught the attention of netizens online, who argue that Camilla’s gesture was a sign that she was shooing Kate away. Body language expert Judi James told the Daily Mail, “A small smile, nudge, and point might have been more acceptable as a gesture to the woman who will be queen, but the lack of a smile and the hard flapping looked rather authoritative here.”

During King Charles and Camilla’s Coronation in May 2023, Kate and William appeared to remain still as the newly crowned Queen passed them while leaving Westminster Abbey. Royal author Tom Bower later spoke on the moment and claimed it showed that the couple was unhappy with Camilla. The snub was reportedly over the Coronation guest list. Bowler said on Dan Wootton Tonight (via Women & Home), “Camilla brought 20 Parker Bowleses to the coronation, and there were four Middletons.” He continued, “If you look at the coronation footage, as the king and queen leave the thrones and head for the exit of Westminster Abbey, you’ll see that everyone bows and curtsies to the king and no one moves a limb, a muscle, when Camilla passes.”

One exchange between Kate and Camilla at the 2022 Remembrance Sunday service left royal watchers taking a little closer look at their relationship. In one photograph, Kate appeared to purse her lips while Camilla gave her what body language expert Judi James described as a “terse” look. James told The Express, “Of course it would have been inappropriate to smile and chat happily on such a poignant occasion, but Kate’s lips did appear pursed as Camilla threw her this less-than-friendly glare.”

Camilla’s 70th birthday drew attention for an unlikely reason: Kate and William's apparent snub, as they seemingly did not wish to acknowledge the day publicly. The couple attended her birthday celebrations at Highgrove, but the Waleses did not share a public birthday message for her that year, as is typical for senior working royals.