Camilla appears to pull rank over Kate during Melania Trump state visit, body-language expert says

Queen Camilla appeared to pull rank over Catherine, the Princess of Wales, during a moment in U.S. First Lady Melania Trump’s state visit at Windsor Castle, according to a body-language expert.

In Windsor Estate's private Walled Garden, Camilla, 78, and Melania, 55, spoke with King Charles and Donald Trump nearby as the Queen’s husband and the President stood close by. Moments later, Kate, 43, approached the trio, drawing Melania’s attention away from Camilla and toward the future queen. The encounter unfolded as the First Lady turned to greet Kate, seemingly ending the Queen’s chat and prompting an animated exchange between Melania and Kate while Camilla looked on, briefly left out of the conversation.

Body-language expert Judi James told The Daily Mail that the moment appeared to show Camilla 'pulling rank' and 'shooing Kate away,' though she cautioned that readings of gestures can vary. 'On the surface this was just Camilla warning Kate that her carriage was arriving, but the body-language undertones look much less congenial,' James said. 'Camilla had been chatting to Melania when Kate shot into view, clearly synchronised with William who had simultaneously moved to talk to his father and Trump. Kate’s energy and her enthusiastic gesticulation seemed to tune with Melania, who turned her head away from Camilla to talk, using some subtly mirrored responses as she did so. 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.'"

Richard Fitzwilliams, meanwhile, suggested the gesture could be read as dismissive, noting that the scene was captured at a distance and could have a perfectly innocent explanation. 'We always see royals being impeccably polite to each other in public, so there may well be a perfectly innocent interpretation of a gesture that, at a distance, appears dismissive,' he told The Daily Mail. He added that the presence of a horse-drawn carriage nearby might have influenced Camilla’s timing, saying, '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.'

A Trump spokesperson this week said the couple was 'thrilled' that Kate would be 'front and centre' during the UK trip, saying: 'The inclusion of Princess Kate in so many events during the state visit is an honour.'

The day’s fashion also drew attention. Camilla wore a sapphire blue dress with a matching coat by Fiona Clare and a Philip Treacy hat, complemented by a sapphire and diamond brooch. Kate opted for an Emilia Wickstead dress paired with a Jane Taylor hat and a brooch that had once belonged to Princess Diana. Melania wore a Christian Dior Haute Couture dark grey skirt suit that flared at the waist, with her blonde hair in a sleek updo.

Later in the evening the group attended a glittering state banquet with senior royals, including Princess Anne, where Kate wore a Phillipa Lepley silk crepe gown under a hand-embroidered gold Chantilly lace evening coat, and she wore Queen Elizabeth II’s Royal Family Order and a blue sash signifying her Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order.

On Thursday afternoon, Kate and Melania met again with Scouts Squirrels in Frogmore Gardens, joining a group of four- and five-year-olds as they worked toward their 'Go Wild' badge. Dwayne Fields, the Chief Scout, led the pair through activities such as building a bug hotel and leaf printing. Kate, who has been joint president of the Scouts with the Duke of Kent since 2020, helped lead the badge presentations and hosted a picnic for the Squirrels. The Princess arranged a honey-based lunch using honey from the Wales family hives at Anmer Hall, and the First Lady gave jars of White House honey to the children. A spokesman said the wellbeing of young children remains a priority for both the Princess and the First Lady, reflecting their shared interest in connecting children with the natural world.

The Scouts meet is part of Buckingham Palace’s detailed schedule for the state visit, which began on Tuesday and runs through today. The visit has featured a full slate of engagements designed to showcase the U.K. and its ceremonial traditions, as royal aides emphasize the value of diplomacy through pomp and circumstance, a long-standing cornerstone of the royal role on the world stage.