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Royal fans have been focused on King Charles III’s relationship with sons, Prince Harry and Prince William, but maybe they were looking in the wrong place.
Queen Camilla and Kate Middleton might not be the best of buds either. On September 17, during the meet-and-greet for Donald and Melania Trump at Windsor Castle, the royal women had an awkward encounter.
A video captured by The Royal Family Channel on YouTube shows how the tense interaction went down. Camilla was chit-chatting with the First Lady of the United States when Kate approached them right around the 7:40 mark of the clip. Melania warmly greeted the Princess of Wales while the queen looked a little less than thrilled to see the interruption.
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Kate Middleton, Queen Camilla, and Melania Trump.
AARON CHOWN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
While Melania and Kate engaged in what appeared to be a pleasant conversation, Camilla looked off into the distance and did not join in with them. She appeared annoyed as they continued talking, and almost two minutes in, the queen shooed off Kate and gestured for her to move away as she turned back to Melania. The Princess of Wales handled the cringeworthy moment like a total pro and walked over to Prince William as a horse-drawn carriage approached.
In 2016, royal author Christopher Andersen claimed to the Daily Beast that Camilla was behind Kate and William’s split in 2007. He called Camilla “a bit of a snob” who didn’t believe Kate was “worthy of joining the royal family.” The Brothers and Wives writer alleged that Camilla “whispered in Charles’s ear” to encourage William to break up with his girlfriend.
“Kate is the first working-class woman to be accepted into the royal family,” he said. “She is descended from coal miners, and her mother was a flight attendant.”
“It has been since confirmed publicly that Charles did suggest to William that he either make a commitment to Kate or basically set her free, as it were,” Andersen added. “Now, his motives for doing that may have been pure, but Camilla’s…not so much. She was the instigator of this.”
In 2025, their reported rivalry is over power. With Charles battling cancer, Camilla wants to stay in her royal position as long as possible, per a November 2024 Us Weekly report.
“She loves her responsibilities,” a source told the media outlet. “Her whole life, she has always wanted to be queen, so she doesn’t want to let it go so fast.” If Camilla has to give up her role as queen, it will be to Kate.
The royal relationships at the palace seem to be tense, and it surprisingly doesn’t involve Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Before you go, click here to find out which tell-all books expose major royal family secrets.
