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Queen Camilla Appears To ‘Pull Rank’ Over Princess Kate in Awkward Moment [Video]

Queen Camilla and Kate Middleton appeared cheerful, grounded, and relaxed in front of the cameras while welcoming Donald and Melania Trump for their second state visit last week. However, behind-the-scenes footage told a different story, as Camilla was seen ‘pulling rank’ and shooing Middleton away while chatting with the First Lady. The video captured the Queen Consort waving her hand and gesturing to the Princess of Wales to move along and join her husband, raising suspicions of possible tension between the royal ladies.

After Camilla gestured to Middleton, she humbly obliged, moving out of focus. The video was taken after William and Middleton warmly welcomed the Presidential couple to Windsor Castle and escorted them to meet the King and Queen. Middleton had initially stepped in to join Camilla and Melania in a conversation, which led to the Queen Consort awkwardly watching and glancing around before shooing her. Later, Camilla and Melania travelled in a carriage procession through the Palace, with Charles and Donald in another carriage, and William and Middleton following suit.

After Camilla’s awkward moment with Middleton went viral on X (formerly Twitter), fans couldn't help but say the same thing. A royal watcher opined, "OMG! I think for the first time I truly understand how these women feel about each other and who’s in charge." In a similar vein, another echoed, "I'm sure she told her to 'shoo'. Camilla's not playing; she dismissed her." A netizen offered a different take and argued, "She’s just warning Kate that the carriages are coming through and they need to stand in the order of embarkation." Another reasoned, "She said, 'watch out' due to the approaching carriage." 

While the video made it seem like Camilla 'pulled rank' on Middleton, body language expert Judi James claimed that wasn't the case. She told the Daily Mail, "On the surface, this was just Camilla warning Kate that her carriage was arriving, but the body language undertones look much less congenial. When she turned back to warn Kate, she seemed to break up a good conversation, and the problem came with her quick flapping of her hand that appeared to shoo Kate away." She added, "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."

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams echoed James’s claims and noted that the carriage pulling up to the royals was likely a horse-drawn one, which could have been the reason behind Camilla’s gesture. He explained, "Sometimes when images are seen at a distance, it is easy to misinterpret them, especially when horses are involved. It seems likely that Queen Camilla was moving Catherine out of the way of a horse-drawn carriage."

Donald and Melania spent two days in the UK before leaving on September 18 after enjoying a state banquet dinner hosted by the King and Queen Consort at Windsor Castle.