Kate Middleton, the new Princess of Wales, has been the epitome of poise, grace, and dignity since marrying into the royal family, but particularly so since Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8.
While she was once dubbed “Waity Katie” by the British press, much like Queen herself, Kate has shown a quiet dignity in the face of such criticism and especially through tough times.
On Saturday, the Princess of Wales stepped up as she greeted dignitaries during a special Commonwealth lunch at Buckingham Palace. She attended with her husband, Prince William, as well as King Charles III, and his wife, the Queen Consort, Camila, Princess Anne, and Prince Edward.
Kate was seen placing a warm hand on the arm of Cyril Errol Melchiades Charles, Governor of St Lucia, as well as sharing a chat with Camila while mingling with the guests.
The governors-general of Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu all attended the lunch.
It was just a preview of Sunday’s “reception of the century” that will see 500 guests attend, including world leaders, politicians and royals from all over.
Kate Middleton and Prince William recently visited the Army Training Centre Pirbright
The Princess of Wales donned a long-sleeved, black dress that was cinched in at the waist, pairing it with a delicate three-strand pearl bracelet that once belonged to her mother-in-law, Princess Diana. The matching set includes a necklace and earrings.
It’s been a busy few days for the Prince and Princess of Wales, with the pair visiting the Army Training Centre Pirbright in Surrey on Friday where they spoke to military personnel from the Commonwealth who will participate in Monday’s funeral procession.
According to Greg Gifford, 31, Prince William revealed the Queen would be looking down on the service, saying, “One of the key things I took away from what he said was how the Queen will definitely be looking down on the whole funeral service.“
He continued, “He said she would be interested in the detail of the soldiers, how the drill is carried out, its precision, our dress, things like that.”
For her part, the Princess of Wales told Canadian military personnel that it was quite strange to go from the happy events of the Platinum Jubilee to a funeral service.
Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral will be held on Monday at Westminster Abbey
Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral service will be held at Westminster Abbey on Monday at 11:00 a.m. BST, followed by two minutes of national silence before it concludes at 12:00 p.m. BST.
Before that, the royal family will follow in a procession behind the Queen’s coffin from Westminster Hall, where she is currently Lying-In-State to the service at Westminster Abbey.