The Princess of Wales has a car and she drives herself at times. She always has. While she’s chauffeured around a lot of the time, especially for her paltry work events, she’s also been seen driving her kids to school. She drives herself around to her gym and for shopping excursions too. I remember a moment in 2021, just after the Duchess of Sussex told Oprah that the palace took her passport and car keys (effectively keeping her prisoner), Kate was quickly sent out to be photographed behind the wheel, doing a school drop-off. It was supposed to be some kind of message to Meghan: see, Kate isn’t a prisoner, she drives herself! Take that, Meghan! Well, last Thursday, Kate attended a reception for the Red Roses, England’s women’s rugby team. Kate was seen driving herself over to Windsor Castle for the reception. Which isn’t some major accomplishment, given that Kate lives less than four miles away from the castle.
Kate Middleton made a rare arrival behind the wheel at her latest royal engagement. On Jan. 15, the Princess of Wales — who is patron of England’s women’s rugby team — hosted a reception at Windsor Castle celebrating the squad’s World Cup victory in September 2025 and drove herself to the event.
Fan footage shared on X showed Kate, 44, stepping out of a black car from the driver’s side — which is on the right in the U.K. She closed the door behind her, accepted an umbrella from a waiting aide and walked into the castle with them on the rainy afternoon.
Kate’s solo arrival stood out, as senior royals are typically taken to official engagements by drivers. There may have been a simple explanation, however: she lives nearby.
The Princess of Wales and her family reside about 3.5 miles from Windsor Castle at Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park. Kate, Prince William and their children — Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7 — moved there in October 2025 from Adelaide Cottage, upgrading to a larger home.
Honestly, I do find it interesting that Kate’s staff and security allowed her to drive herself to an official event. I would assume that she had a bodyguard or two traveling with her in a separate car. You can see the Twitter video here (I can’t embed it). She was seemingly alone in the car (possibly an Audi), and you can see her clomp-clomp-clomp along in her McQueen suit and heels. The area just outside the castle is gravel, I believe, so that explains that. Anyway, another day, another narrative about how 44-year-old Kate is a magical princess for… driving herself a distance of four miles for her only work event of the week. Just like us!
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.
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- LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 03: Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William, Prince of Wales arrive in a carriage at Buckingham Palace during day one of The Amir of the State of Qatar’s visit to the United Kingdom on December 03, 2024 in London, England. His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar, accompanied by Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani, will hold several engagements with The Prince and Princess of Wales, The King and Queen as well as political figures.,Image: 942433347, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson/Avalon/Avalon
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- Britain’s Kate, Princess of Wales, smiles as she gestures meeting members of the England Women’s rugby team, at Windsor Castle, Windsor, England, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, the team won the Women’s Rugby World Cup in September 2025.,Image: 1066368174, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: POOL PHOTO, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Kin Cheung/Avalon
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- Britain’s Kate, Princess of Wales, meets members of the England Women’s rugby team, at Windsor Castle, Windsor, England, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, the team won the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup.,Image: 1066368392, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: POOL PHOTO, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Kin Cheung/Avalon
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- Britain’s Kate, Princess of Wales, meets members of the England Women’s rugby team, at Windsor Castle, Windsor, England, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, the team won the Women’s Rugby World Cup in September 2025.,Image: 1066369739, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: POOL PHOTO, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Kin Cheung/Avalon
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- London, UNITED KINGDOM – Duchess of Cambridge spotted the morning after Meghan Markle accused her of making her cry. She was spotted driving into Kensington Palace. In her explosive interview with Oprah, Meghan also addressed how she was treated differently in the press saying, ‘We’ve all had to deal with some things that are rude,’ rude and racist are not the same.” Pictured: Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton BACKGRID USA 8 MARCH 2021 BYLINE MUST READ: MJ Pictures / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Prince William of Wales, Catherine Princess of Wales, Prince George, Prince Louis arrive at Buckingham Palace for Trooping the Colour 2024 ceremony, marking the monarch’s official birthday in London. Featuring: William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales with Prince Louis and Prince George Where: London, United Kingdom When: 15 Jun 2024 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
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- Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales visit Pontypridd in south Wales, ahead of St. David’s Day on Saturday 1st March. Their Royal Highnesses spent time with members of the local community, hearing about life in the town. In December 2024, Pontypridd was one of a number of towns across Wales which was hit by severe flooding as a result of Storm Bert and Storm Darragh. The Prince and Princess spoke about the experiences of members of the community who were affected by the floods. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince William Where: Pontypridd, Wales, United Kingdom When: 26 Feb 2025 Credit: Cover Images
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales leave by car after greeting the President of France Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron at RAF Northolt, north west London, on day one of the French President’s state visit to the UK. Featuring: William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 07 Jul 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Royals attending a service at Crathie Kirk Featuring: Catherine Princess of Wales Where: Crathie Kirk, United Kingdom When: 24 Aug 2025 Credit: Paul Campbell/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales arriving in the Scottish State Coach ahead of the ceremonial welcome at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, on day one of the state visit to the UK by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales, William, Prince of Wales Where: Windsor, United Kingdom When: 03 Dec 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Royal family christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace Featuring: William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales with Prince George Where: London, United Kingdom When: 16 Dec 2025 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales leave Buckingham Palace, central London, on day one of the President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to the UK. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales and William, Prince of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 21 Nov 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
When she could have taken the helicopter those 4 miles?! Im aghast!
Waiting for the UK uproar about her closing her own door. That’s coming, right? Same folks who wailed and cried and threw up for months about Meghan will be commenting now, right?
But seriously, the bar for this woman in in the middle of the earth. So much praise and hype for nothing. How embarrassing for her and her fans.
Remember, for these deranged people (several of whom I encounter in daily life), 2+1 is their equation! I often find myself having to say the obvious, the all-important = is missing!
Do not expect the uproar for her closing her own door because their idea of an equation is 2+1.
Oh, dear! 🤦♀️
Anyone, Kate not only drove herself, not only closed her own car door, but she carried her own umbrella! What an amazing woman! 🙄🤮
She was on her way to meet some tremendous athletes — strong, talented, hard-working women – so maybe Kate wanted to show that she was a big girl too??
Look at the juxtaposition: Kate drove herself for 4(;) miles while Prince Harry fights against the tabloids and their illegal ways…the same tabloids which are praising Kate for driving…how could anyone be so blind and believe their narrative and propaganda?
Please give me cookie vibes. Next thing you know they’re hyping her up for going to the toilet all by herself like a big girl
Wow! Made me laugh.
They already did that with William. Literally. And it wasn’t so long ago either. Someone said that the bar is so low that it is subterranean with Kate, and I agree.
Big deal she drove herself. Meg closed her own car door and they went after her for doing that against protocol. Isn’t this against protocol too?
But Kate has a white skin so that’s OK.
You are forgetting, protocol is only for Meg. Which is why she breaks protocol by just existing!
She drove herself to the Castle but didn’t bring her own umbrella.
Hey, she can’t remember everything! The route to the castle AND an umbrella! Looks like she forgot her driver’s license, too, but that’s for us plebs only, I guess.
She had security with her. But wanted it to appear she drove all by herself. An obvious p r stumt.
I’m just curious about what kind of person this PR works on. Seriously, who looks at this and thinks, “Good for her!” She drove a car in a place with zero traffic, what a death defying feat of incredible skill and reflexes!
She drove from Forest Lodge, with a “ring of steel” around it 3.5 miles to Windsor Castle, on Windsor Grounds, where the “rings of steel” overlap, no public is allowed. No traffic. Why would she need security?
Closed her car door, which is NOT against protocol. Only when it is Meghan. A little while ago on German tabloid TV (Brisant) the royal expert (Leontine von Schmettow) was asked about the car door incident and Meghan’s breaches of protocol. This lady is in no way a fan of the Sussexes, but even she snorted (very unladylike) and said such protocol doesn’t exist, all royals have been seen closing their car doors, and the whole “scandal” was made up to discredit Meghan, who did absolutely nothing wrong. Which came as a surprise, she usually is all about “bad Meghan couldn’t cope should have accepted advice of her betters”.
Lately the fawning over St Kate seems a little strained.
@Lurker: well, The Queen lived inside a presumable ring of steel at Buckingham Palace, yet an intruder got into her bedroom one night. Security is needed at ALL times.
She’s 44 and drove all by herself or so it seems. If the keens bought a mansion for security no way would she not be without security
My guess is security was following just behind and you can’t see them in this video.
She drove 4 miles from Windsor great park to Windsor castle. Someone give her a medal stat!!!!
The video is close cropped so that you don’t see anything behind her vehicle so there has to be RPOs nearby. There is no way they would have let her drive on her own from forest lodge because it is outside of the security perimeter. The only time you don’t see RPOs in the car with them is when they are on the estate.
But really she looked medicated at that event and should not have been driving for that reason alone.
I was bored and I was searching about kate wig. What i found out is fascinating that everyone in here assume that keen blonde wig is because william side chick must be blonde. I found out that during this year piano event with Charlotte she and keen have same hair length and same color. That terrible shade looks like lilibet first year birthday hair. Not only that before lilibet william hardly holds charoltte or spend time with her. After the birth of lili william copied harry as girl dad. So when william started spending more time with Charlotte keen feels threatened and started mimicking char. That woman is mentally sick and Carol does with kate and Pippa and wearing same dress is narcissists mother move.
Charlotte was never a baby with blonde hair, her hair was always light brown and the blonde highlights show up in her hair at the weirdest times. So it’s likely there are mother and daughter highlights sessions.
Unfortunately, Carole and Kate have already gotten their hands on Charlotte and are trying to turn her into another Kate in a wig. In some photos, Charlotte appears to have extra hair attached to lengthen it—suddenly, it’s waist-length, or thicker—in braids that are sometimes thin, sometimes thick. This is disastrous for such a girl. It’s like sending her the message that her natural hair isn’t enough, and then asking her to pretend to play the piano, while the headlines scream she’s a virtuoso. What kind of message does that send to a child? Manipulated by her mother/grandmother, she may have low self-esteem. It would be good for her to be able to go to a good boarding school, so she could escape her dysfunctional parents and finally be herself.
Lort. She looked altered at the event. Hopefully, she was not on any public roads if she actually drove. The standard the rota holds Keener to really is in the pit of hell. Does staging a photo op driving herself like a bigly adult count as one of her events for this year? It is not normal to trot someone out publicly who appears so skeletal and altered. The Windsors are doing her no favors even if they do make sure her coverage is positive.
I wondered about that too. I was genuinely a little shook that she was allowed to drive. But she would’nt have been on any public roads. I can only imagine they wanted the headlines of look Kate is so down to earth she drives herself.
Clap for her!!!!… those who write this and Kate herself, are they not embarrassed. I’m deeply.
Is all the hoopla around this amazing car ride meant to distract us from asking the real questions? Like, why didn’t Kate attend the actual final in nearby London? Why did she wait 3 1/2 months to honor the Roses? Did the Roses have to curtsey upon meeting her? And what did the Roses get out of being commanded to come meet her?
I genuinely wonder what goes through the player’s minds sometimes during these interactions.
It would have been funnier if she had scootered over…they are allowed to scooter in Windsor Great Park!
Also in breaking news, I drove myself to the grocery store yesterday.
Please clap.
I’m proud of you 👏👏👏👏👏
Thanks, Nerd! 🙂
Grown azz woman drives herself to an event……… Let the pigeons loose🙄
So what, she wants a cookie? Remember then the rota freaked out because Meghan closed her own car door? I can’t with these people.
People magazine keeps making themselves look like a joke with these pointless articles about a mediocre woman. Who could have imagined that People magazine would write an article focused on a 44 year old woman driving herself less than 4 miles from one house to another. No Accomplishments Kate walked into a building to celebrate women who actually accomplished something and decided to do it by being the main focus in all red. She and People magazine are a joke 😂.
People Magazine has descended into straight trash these last few years. It’s an arm of the British tabloids now, and couldn’t be more obvious about being stenographers to dried up colonial power.
‘There may have been a simple explanation, however: she lives nearby.’
MAY have, People magazine, MAY have???
Headline: Adult woman drives to work meeting
To me this signals that they are separated and possibly divorced. The Princess of Wales has no police protection?! When Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan were exiled that’s the first thing that went. Granted, it was only 4 miles, but to me this is a red flag. Could be wrong.
What a clever girl she is driving 4 miles herself, and in her high heeled shoes!.Wow just wow
The fact that they’re making such a big deal out of this seems demeaning to her. Of course, they’ve said Charles has an assistant put toothpaste on his toothbrush so the RF bar is very low.
They’re all spoiled no doubt. But Charles’s aide put the toothpaste on after Charles broke his arm. And it was decades ago. It’s not a regular thing.
But did she close the car door herself?