Despite being one of the most famous women in the world, the Princess of Wales was once mistaken for one of Prince William’s staff – but she had a shock response to the mix-up
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Princess Kate leaves hospital to recover at home after surgery
The Prince and Princess of Wales are currently taking a break from royal duties while Kate gets back on her feet following abdominal surgery.
But when they do resume their public engagements, their every move will be followed by photographers – and it had made them one of the most instantly recognisable couples in the world. But that didn’t once stop Kate being once mistaken for her husband Prince William’s assistant – and her surprise response left them in fits of giggles. The mix-up came several years ago when the couple were visiting the Shire Hall Care Home in Cardiff and the royal pair got more than they bargained more when they were introduced to resident Joan Drew-Smith.
The unfazed OAP pointed at Kate and asked William: “Is that your assistant?” But Kate handled the situation with a deft touch, laughing and saying to William: “Well, I am your assistant”. She added: “I have been for a long time!” Prince William married Kate on 29 April 2011 after first meeting her at the University of St Andrews in 2001. While the last few months have been turbulent for Princess Kate, she is known for her ‘keep calm and carry on attitude’ – a trait the late Queen reportedly admired.
And her Majesty went out of her way to make the princess feel welcome, allowing her to visit Balmoral and giving her permission to bring her camera and take pictures of the stunning landscape, according to royal author Katie Nicholl. While this may not sound like a big deal to the average person, Katie explains this simply wasn’t the done thing usually.
Her first invitation to spend time there came in the days when she started dating her future husband. There’s no doubt Kate would have felt nervous ahead of her first few trips to the estate – but it appears the Queen was keen to make her feel welcome – and she reportedly did this by giving her a rare privilege.
In her book, Kate: The Future Queen, published in 2013, Katie writes: “Until now the Queen had met Kate only fleetingly at the wedding of Peter and Autumn Phillips, but she went out of her way to make her feel welcome, giving her permission to take pictures at Balmoral.” Being invited to Balmoral showed how the Queen was ready to let Kate into the inner royal circle.
She added: “As a woman who has lived her entire life in the public eye, the Queen rarely lets her guard down, and very few apart from her family and closest friends get to see the real Elizabeth.” Since that first trip, Kate has been a regular visitor to the royals Scottish Highlands retreat and in 2019, Wills and Kate, then the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, were pictured arriving at the Sunday church service with the Queen.
