Kate Middleton Refused to Curtsy Queen Camilla at Her Coronation Ceremony, Here's Why
On September 8, 2022, Charles became the heir apparent upon the demise of his mother, Elizabeth II. On Saturday, May 6, 2023, King Charles III and Queen Camilla were crowned in Westminster Abbey with great grandeur. However, according to royal biographer Tom Bower, Kate Middleton refused to practice her royal etiquette and years of training during the event. As per the New York Post, Bower claimed that the Princess of Wales was particularly “angry” with the newly crowned queen and refused to curtsy for the monarch as she left Westminster Abbey.
Due to the guest list, which only allowed the Prince and Princess of Wales to invite four members of the Middleton family while the new queen had twenty guests, the royal animosity between Camilla and Middleton grew. The author went on to say that those who assisted in transforming Camilla's reputation from that of the king's mistress to that of the queen were also excluded from the high-profile occasion. During the coronation, Camilla desired her children and grandchildren to be the center of attention. It was reported that Kate became enraged when her brother and sister were denied the opportunity to bring their partners.
Bower told UK TV program Dan Wootton Tonight, “Camilla brought 20 Parker Bowleses to the coronation and there were four Middletons,” he said on the show, verifying that the spouses of Middleton's siblings were not permitted to accompany them. “If you look at the coronation footage, as the king and queen leave the thrones and head for the exit of Westminster Abbey,” continued Bower, “you’ll see that everyone bows and curtsies to the king and no one moves a limb, a muscle when Camilla passes.” “And that’s because they were angry with Camilla.”
The royal author further stated that the whole arena exuded a sense of indignation. “All the people that helped Camilla get the crown on her head were excluded from that coronation, and they were furious,” Bower claimed. “Kate and William were angry too. That anger went right through that small part of the congregation by the throne, at the center of Westminster Abbey.” “And in that moment it was absolutely noticeable to those people who had been excluded that nobody — let alone Kate — curtsied to Queen Camilla,” added Bower.
The next day, in front of 20,000 people, the discomfort between Camilla and Kate was noticeable even during the coronation concert. “And what was even more noticeable was, at the Windsor concert the following day, William makes no reference to Queen Camilla [in his speech]. So there is a tension there,” Bower said. According to him, Camilla looked "exhausted" in the weeks leading up to the glitzy celebration, and the event had taken a toll on the former Duchess of Cornwall. “The whole problem with Camilla is that she’s exhausted at the moment,” said Bower. “Those who met her in the weeks before the coronation noticed a very tired, very worn-out woman with telltale signs of age, and she’s clearly exhausted by the whole thing.”
