Back in the day, the Princess of Wales’ Remembrance appearances would inspire a full week of commentary about Kate’s clothes, her hair, her body language. In recent years, a lot of that has just disappeared and I’m not entirely sure why. Granted, Kate is coming up on her 45th birthday and it’s difficult for the press to write about her like she’s still an overgrown big-girl who is still listening and learning. Therein lies the problem for Kate’s image-makers though, because they absolutely want to position her as youthful, inexperienced and too fragile to work consistently. When the tabloids try to position Kate as what she is – a 44-year-old woman who has survived the monarchy for fifteen years – it comes across as unearned and out of nowhere. Speaking of:
Princess Kate has been praised as the Royal Family’s “natural matriarch” after her stoic appearance at the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph on Sunday. The Princess of Wales joined King Charles, Queen Camilla and Prince William for the emotional service in London, as the country fell silent to honour the war dead.
As the King, the Prince of Wales, Prince Edward and Princess Anne were led out to Whitehall to stand at the Cenotaph, Kate, Camilla, Duchess Sophie and the Duke of Kent watched on from the balcony of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
And according to body language expert Judi James, Kate’s stoicism has become a rock for the entire Royal Family, and drew parallels between the Princess of Wales and the late Queen Elizabeth.
Judi told the Express : “Over the past few years of drama and scandal for the royal Firm, [Catherine] has emerged as their natural matriarch. [Kate is] a calming presence who appears to project the kind of signals of continuity and resilience that the late Queen was known for, and this role was more than illustrated by her body language, charisma and signals here today.”
The Princess of Wales’ caring nature was on display as the service began as she offered a warm, reassuring smile to a slightly tense-looking Queen Camilla when they first appeared on the balcony together.
It’s funny because Camilla is the one who should be positioned as the family’s matriarch, but everyone hates that nag. Anyway, Kate’s brand has never been “calm and capable matriarch.” Never! Her brand has gone from “too immature for any kind of work expectations” to whatever these photos actually reveal. In my opinion, they’ve got Kate looking like a whole-ass Disney villainess. Her wonky left eyebrow really adds to that effect.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
-
- Politicians and members of the Royal Family attend the 2026 National Service of Remembrance at The Cenotaph in London, England Featuring: Queen Camilla, Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 08 Nov 2026 Credit: Cover Images
-
- The annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince William, King Charles III, Queen Camilla Where: London, United Kingdom When: 07 Nov 2026 Credit: Aaron Chown/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- The annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince William, King Charles III, Queen Camilla Where: London, United Kingdom When: 07 Nov 2026 Credit: Aaron Chown/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- The annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince William Where: London, United Kingdom When: 07 Nov 2026 Credit: Aaron Chown/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- The annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince William Where: London, United Kingdom When: 07 Nov 2026 Credit: Aaron Chown/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- The annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 07 Nov 2026 Credit: Aaron Chown/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- Politicians and members of the Royal Family attend the 2026 National Service of Remembrance at The Cenotaph in London, England Featuring: Queen Camilla, Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 08 Nov 2026 Credit: Cover Images
-
- Politicians and members of the Royal Family attend the 2026 National Service of Remembrance at The Cenotaph in London, England Featuring: Queen Camilla, Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 08 Nov 2026 Credit: Cover Images
-
- Politicians and members of the Royal Family attend the 2026 National Service of Remembrance at The Cenotaph in London, England Featuring: Queen Camilla, Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 08 Nov 2026 Credit: Cover Images
-
- Politicians and members of the Royal Family attend the 2026 National Service of Remembrance at The Cenotaph in London, England Featuring: Queen Camilla, Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 08 Nov 2026 Credit: Cover Images
-
- Members of The Royal Family attend The 2026 National Service of Remembrance at The Cenotaph on November 9, 2025 in London, England. Every year, members of the British Royal Family join politicians, veterans and members of the public to remember those who have died in combat.London United Kingdom 8 November 2026 Featuring: Queen Camilla, Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 08 Nov 2026 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
-
- Members of The Royal Family attend The 2026 National Service of Remembrance at The Cenotaph on November 9, 2025 in London, England. Every year, members of the British Royal Family join politicians, veterans and members of the public to remember those who have died in combat.London United Kingdom 8 November 2026 Featuring: Queen Camilla, Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 08 Nov 2026 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
Major Snow White evil queen vibes.
💯 % the evil stepmother look.
Let’s be fair, it’s her best look.
Body language expert = fan fiction writer
Natural matriarch? Kate doesn’t have the courage to deal with the heat Meghan is going through. That’s leadership.
I had that polka dot dress in the 80’s. It’s a bit dated now. Remember when Kate was so “motherly” with Prince Archie and Meghan while watching polo. She wouldn’t even look at him. Motherly Kate wouldn’t even attend Princess Lili’s first birthday party. She’s such a matriarch.
I agree with your assessment of Kate, but “matriarch” and “maternal” are not synonyms…
In my view, this is actually kind of shady from the Mirror. To label Kate the “matriarch” of the family (with Camilla and Sophie standing right next to her!) is basically telling her “Get off your ass and do more events – you’re the best we got”. But also, er, don’t speak, please, be a “stoic” matriarch. Just look pretty and give us content we can use!
Also, there’s no way that someone who has that much Botox and fillers and still prefers to wear their hair in girlish sausage curls will enjoy being called a “matriarch”. That’s gotta sting.
Kate does have a Betty Davis in “Whatever Happened to Sweet Baby Jane” vibe. & you know she’d still rather be flashing her bits in a mini than wearing anything below the knee.
So why does Willy need so much help from Harry? Get your stories straight, kids.
Kate can’t even cope with her own children without mummy Carole on speed dial, nanny Maria literally living adjacent to her property, and an army of staff. To say nothing of a husband who has nowhere to be but home, since he never goes to “work.” Add close protection officers for the kids who do the school run every day, expensive and capable private schools who handle every sports fixture and drama club, and swimming lesson, and…. You have a pampered Home Counties Hausfrau. A matriarch in the classic sense was a Roman woman in charge while her husband was away on campaign and military deployments lasted years at a time. She was responsible for managing the household slaves (Rome ran on slave labour, domestic, public, all the lovely aqueducts, temples, etc…) and the household children — her own and any others who were raised as a small tribe and any aging parents, her own, her husband’s, etc… Kate would collapse in fits of self-pity in less than a week, in that society.
Matriarch? She couldn’t even handle sharing some lip gloss with her SIL fgs
Kaiser , Disney villain for sure but to be more specific. She Looks just like Cinderella step mother. Right down to the dress with the belt
She and Camilla look like they are from the same era. Both stale biscuits.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I can’t even with this ridiculousness!
You know, it’s kind of weird that Anna and Edward are down laying wreaths while all the married ins stand on a balcony watching
If I was Kate, I’d be mortified that l was being positioned by the press as the matriarch at age 44 especially when my step-mother in law and aunt in laws were still alive.
That eyebrow looks like it’s trying to escape her face so it can go on its own adventures.
It needs its own social media account: Kate’s Eyebrow.
Must…write…something … about the rest of the BRF. Can’t have the Sussexes stealing ALL the headlines, first with Thomas Markle, then with Harry being peskily effective at that Remembrance service and now making an actual speech (omg Will and Kate would never) in Brussels today.
But what? It’s not like the Wales are doing anything besides standing or marching around. No speeches, nothing interesting after their latest school break. Ok, let’s wheel out that body language specialist and tell her not to mention that article the other week about tension between Kate and Camilla.
Wow the scar is very visible in the picture here from the Festival. They must not have photoshopped it out because of the distance, but if you zoom in, you can really see it!