Kate & Camilla’s ‘Tense Relationship’ Resurfaces After the Queen Was Accused of Shooing the Princess Away—They’re ‘Completely Different’ in ‘Private’
Jason Pham
Queen Camilla and Kate Middleton’s awkward moment with first lady Melania Trump may have a deeper meaning as reports about the royals’ “tense relationship” resurface.
The moment between Camilla, Kate, and Melania came on September 17, 2025, as Camilla and her husband, King Charles, greeted Melania and her husband, President Donald Trump, as they arrived at Windsor Castle. Kate and her husband, Prince William, were the first of the British royal family to greet the Trumps before accompanying them to Victoria House, where Charles and Camilla were waiting to welcome the first couple.
Related: Queen Camilla looked so much different when she was young
In a video of the meeting, Donald and Melania are greeted by Charles and Camilla, as well as private secretaries Sir Clive Alderton and Sophie Densham, when the president and king turn toward each other to speak privately. Camilla and Melania followed with their own private conversation, as William and Kate approached the foursome. William joined Charles and Donald’s conversation, while Kate joined Camilla and Melania.
The video continued with Kate and Melania talking as Camilla watched and looked around. A few moments later, Camilla motioned for Kate to move with a sweep of he hand, which Kate obliged to before saying goodbye to Melania and stepping away to walk toward William. Camilla and Melania then spoke for a moment as the whole group stood in a line, creating a path for horse-drawn carriages to approach to take them to Windsor Castle.
The moment also comes after a source told Us Weekly in November 2024 of Kate and Camilla’s secret “tense relationship” due to the different ways they approach the crown. According to the insider, Camilla has been vocal behind closed doors that Charles should be king for as long as he can. “She loves her responsibilities,” the insider said. “Her whole life, she has always wanted to be queen, so she doesn’t want to let it go so fast.”
The source also claimed that Camilla is especially hesitant to pass her responsibilities over to Kate, who is set to succeed her as Queen Consort once William, the next in line for the British throne, becomes king. “They’ve always had a tense relationship,” the insider said.
Royal expert and Power and the Palace author Valentine Low also told GB News in September 2025 that Camilla’s personality is “completely different” from Kate. “Kate is a completely different person to Camilla. She’s very controlled and cautious, and careful,” he said. “Camilla is much more outgoing. She says what she thinks, she’s incredibly engaging, Camilla, and funny. That’s not to say Kate can’t be funny in private, but you know, it’s much more obviously the case with Camilla.”
