One of my favorite running jokes from royal coverage years ago was that the then-Duchess of Cambridge (now Princess of Wales) was basically a junior employee of the Firm and she acted like Prince William’s assistant. There are plenty of stories of people not recognizing Kate over the years and people treating Kate like William’s subordinate (and William treating her that way at times as well). For some reason, that running joke has gotten a second life in recent weeks, as various outlets have reminded everyone of a genuinely funny story from 2020:
She may be one of the most popular member of the Royal Family – but not everyone is able to recognise her. In a recent YouGov poll Kate Middleton was ranked the second most popular member of the Royal Family, just behind her husband, Prince William.
In 2011, 162million people across the globe watched William and Kate tie the knot at Westminster Abbey. But in 2020, during a visit to a care home in Cardiff, Kate got a harsh reality shock when a resident looked at the princess and said: ‘Who are you?’
The Prince and Princess of Wales’ visit came a few months after playing bingo with the residents over Zoom. The couple were reunited with 87-year-old Joan Drew-Smith, who was quick to question their bingo skills after their game.
‘You may not recognise us, but we played bingo with you and you won,’ said William. ‘But you said we didn’t do a very good job?’
‘No, you did a s*** job,’ said Joan.
‘Excellent!’ responded William, laughing.
‘Is this your assistant?’ Joan said as she pointed to Kate, who was sitting next to William, wearing a face covering. Kate immediately laughed and replied: ‘Well, I’m his assistant! I have been for a long time!’
Following the resident’s outspokenness, William told the staff he ‘adored Joan. She’s brilliant,’ he said after the visit.
This was not the first time Kate’s face has proven not to be universally recognisable. In 2023 a Scottish child who asked the Princess who she was during a visit to Burghead Primary School in Moray. ‘Who am I?’ she replied. ‘I’m married to William,’ she humbly explained, pointing to the future king who was greeting other children in the background.
There’s been a consistent issue with kids not recognizing Kate or having no idea who she is – that’s been happening for years, even without a pandemic-era mask. Anyway, I have no idea why this story has gotten a second life (something to do with a viral TikTok, I’ve heard), but it’s funny. Back in the pre-Sussex era, this was all too common, and it’s even happened in recent years, where people not recognizing Kate or not caring who she is. So much for those emotional support polls, I guess.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, archived photos from WENN.
