Kate Middleton Breaks Royal Protocol for Holocaust Survivor — And We’re in Tears

Kate Middleton is known to religiously follow royal protocol, except when it comes to her children or wearing her hair open. Like her late grandmother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth, the Princess of Wales has always upheld tradition. Yet, during a recent appearance at the Buckingham Palace garden party, she shunned protocol for a heartwarming reason. Middleton embraced her old pal and holocaust survivor, Steven Frank, in an emotional reunion.

As reported by People magazine, Frank is originally from Amsterdam. Middleton, an avid photographer, had photographed him with his teenage granddaughters in 2020 for a project marking the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. At the time, the Princess said, “The harrowing atrocities of the Holocaust, which were caused by the most unthinkable evil, will forever lay heavy in our hearts. Yet it is so often through the most unimaginable adversity that the most remarkable people flourish.”

According to Tatler, it’s generally considered against protocol for royals to hug one another, let alone members of the public, during official engagements. Back in 2020, Frank opened up about his relationship with the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during an interview with People magazine. He said, “Both she and Prince William have been extremely interested in the Holocaust and Memorial Day…There is an interest particularly in letting people know what happened, getting their testimony, and passing it along to other generations.” Frank also praised Middleton’s final portrait of him, saying, “It is absolutely beautiful. She does capture that light that would have been coming through a window.”

During the garden tea party, Middleton’s first in two years following her cancer treatment, she also reunited with holocaust survivor Yvonne Bernstein, whose portrait she had photographed alongside Frank’s. In a touching moment, she also received a ‘£23 tarte au citron’ from the brother of late photographer, Liz Hatton. The Waleses had invited Hatton, who was battling advanced cancer, to Windsor Castle in October 2024.

Coming back to her recent break from royal protocol, it seems Middleton got her rebel streak from her husband, Prince William. William, too, recently warmly embraced deaf teacher Wendy Daunt during a recent investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle. Daunt revealed that the emotional Prince of Wales hugged her following a conversation about his late mother, Princess Diana. She told the BBC, “I wanted to tell him how proud the deaf community was of his mother, Princess Diana. The respect for BSL that she gave, we’ve kept that all these years, and will never forget that.” She added, “Deaf culture is we always have a hug, so I quickly said, without thinking, ‘Can I have a hug?’His eyes were looking from one to the other, thinking, ‘No, we’re not allowed,’ but he did.”