As any busy mom knows, you can't look or be perfect all the time. Even with a stylist and a veritable SWAT team in place to make her look like a princess, Kate Middleton has some "unroyal" moments that remind us that before she was in line to be queen, she was just a regular gal.
Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis' mom may be a style icon and a famous celebrity, but the Duchess of Cambridge also appears to have a funny, down-to-earth side that gives her a girl-next-door likability despite her titles. That's one thing fans love her for. She's real and relatable. No one wants a monarch who doesn't understand the plight of regular people.
Here are 30 times Kate Middleton had a less-than-royal moment — in the best way.
Windswept
Even being a duchess doesn’t give her the ability to control the weather. Kate’s hair and her floofy fascinator were mauled by the wind on this day, and she just had to be OK with that. Speaking of her fascinator, this is not one of her best fashion moments. It’s nice to know that she makes style mistakes every once in a while.
Oops! It Did It Again!
The wind is just extremely not Kate’s friend. While traveling in India, she suffered a true Marilyn Monroe moment. We’ve heard Queen Elizabeth advised that the Duchess of Cambridge have weights sewn in the hem of her skirts to avoid this issue in the future. Not a bad idea considering how much the wind likes to ruin her day.
Ah, These Kids!
Kate is so focused on what she’s got to do next as her sister Pippa Middleton’s bridesmaid, that she seems to have overlooked Princess Charlotte literally licking her flower basket. Kids, they’ll embarrass their moms whenever they can — even if their mom is a literal duchess. Kate knows all our mom struggles.
That Famous Eye Roll
We love that Kate isn’t afraid to express herself, even when she’s in public. This famous eye roll says it all. No one tells a royal to wrap gifts faster! This sassy side of Kate has definitely leaked down to her kids — particularly with Princess Charlotte, who we can already tell is gonna be a handful.
Jumping for Joy
Even in wedges, Kate isn’t afraid to have a little fun. The kids she’s visiting had to love watching the woman who may one day be queen taking a turn at their game. She fully went for it, no matter her footwear. We certainly wouldn’t jump over cans in giant wedges, but Kate didn’t mind looking a little silly.
Crushing It at Volleyball
Usually a picture of elegance, the Duchess of Cambridge used her height to her advantage when playing volleyball. (She was also wearing wedges again.) Crush it, Kate! She’s pretty competitive when it comes to sports, so we’re not surprised that the duchess let her poised guard down to actually try to win.
Caught Twirling Her Hair
What’s Kate thinking about? Who knows? Maybe she’s thinking, “My hair truly is lush and amazing!” or “I can’t wait to get back to the palace and kick off these heels!” Either way, her curls look flawless as usual. We can’t blame her for playing with her hair during what was supposed to be a somber and formal event.
Poor Sport
Kate looked disappointed while she and Prince William watched as tennis pro Andy Murray lost to Grigor Dimitrov on Centre Court at the Wimbledon Championships in 2014. When it comes to Wimbledon, Kate’s always worn her heart on her sleeve and her emotions on her face. She makes the best facial expressions when watching tennis.
'I Can't Believe This Is His Idea of a Date'
“Perhaps Mother was wrong about marrying a prince being such a great idea!” Kate seems to be conveying with her eyes. She and Will were attending a swim championship and the duchess definitely looks like she’s not having the time of her life. She also looks like she’s fanning herself with her ticket, so it must have been hot. Not the best day, that’s for sure.
Movin' & Groovin'
Kate’s getting her groove on. We love that the royal isn’t afraid to let her hair down no matter where she goes. She was on a royal tour when they taught her one of their cultural dances, and she wasted no time putting her own spin on it. She doesn’t even look embarrassed, she’s just having fun being herself.
Mom Mode
Kate looks like she’s had enough fun for one day at the Australian zoo she visited with Princes William and George. She and her little guy definitely seem to be making the same face. Time for a nap! This was the same trip that Kate had to wipe George’s drool with her (probably very expensive) dress. Ah, being a mom.
Using an iPhone
We can’t recall any other time we’ve seen a royal on a cellphone. Kate looks so normal here just scrolling away on her screen. For her Early Years child development project, she was using the phone to answer questions people had about parenting. It begs the question, does Kate use emojis?
Taking a Selfie
Usually all of the duchess’ videos and photos are professionally taken, but this video was just her and her phone. Yep, it’s Kate taking a bona fide selfie. She was making the video to honor the beginning of Children’s Mental Health Week, and to remind everyone to check in on their own mental health — parents included.
At-Home Hairstylist
We’re used to seeing the Duchess of Cambridge looking impeccable, from her hair and makeup to her clothing. But she usually gets help with all of that — until lockdown that is. When the Cambridges had to isolate in 2020 and switch their in-person public engagements to video calls, some people noticed that it looked like Kate was doing her own hair. She still looked great, but there was definitely a DIY quality to the styling. She was one of us!
Chasing After Her Kiddos
There’s nothing that shatters the illusion of royalty faster than children. They don’t care who the future Queen of England is, they’re just going to run around — which prompted Kate to have to run after them. In heels, no less! Every time we see Mom Kate in action, we’re reminded that she’s just a regular person.
School Drop-Off
Another quintessential parenting moment Kate likes to participate in is school drop-off. She’s very involved with her children’s school, and often attends events with the other parents. She may be famous, but that’s not going to stop her from being there for her kids’ education.
Fighting in Public
The royals are usually expected to be really proper in public, so it was a big deal to see William and Kate seemingly having a spat while at an event together. William went to pat his wife’s shoulder, and she quickly shrugged him off as if annoyed. But, hey, all couples fight from time to time! Even royal ones.
Dealing With Tantrums
Kids never pick good times to have meltdowns, and Princess Charlotte didn’t either. Photographers captured the little princess crying and screaming during a family trip to Germany, and Kate seemed to be losing her temper a bit, too. It’s stressful enough to handle toddler tears without the whole world watching.
Distracted
Kate is a big animal lover, so it’s hardly surprising that she was more interested in the president of Ireland’s dog than in taking a photo with the president and his wife. That pooch is so fluffy, it would be hard to resist petting it. Kate sure couldn’t hold back.
Running Errands
The Duchess of Cambridge has a whole arsenal of people who are at her beck and call, but sometimes she just wants to do her own shopping, OK? She’s been spotted a handful of times running her own errands. It probably makes her feel like a normal person for a minute, and we can appreciate that.
So Embarrassed
The usually unflappable Kate Middleton leaned fully into her emotions when she came in dead last in a sailing race. Prince William had a good chuckle at his wife’s expense, and it was clear that the super competitive Kate was actually a little upset that she did so poorly. Better luck next time!
Trading In Her Heels
Early on in her royal tenure, the duchess did literally everything in heels — even sports. But as she’s gotten older (and perhaps more tired of constantly wearing stilettos), she’s embraced comfy footwear, like sneakers. On an outing in 2020, she paired her T-shirt and pink pants with a comfy pair of white tennis shoes. Chic and casual — we love it. No one is meant to always wear heels.
Not the Best Cook
Kate may seem like she’s perfect at everything, but she’s apparently not the best cook. A couple of years ago, Prince William joked that his wife’s cooking is, “The reason I’m so skinny!” Good thing they can hire a private chef if they want to. That’s one of the perks of being royal.
Loves Takeout
Perhaps her lack of skill in the kitchen is why Kate’s ideal night includes getting takeout food. A couple of years ago she said her guilty pleasure is getting takeout curry and watching TV with William — they were into Game of Thrones at the time. Such a normal date night idea! We love it.
Picnic Lunch
Speaking of food, the Duchess of Cambridge is raising her kids not to expect fancy five-course meals and fine china every time they eat. When she and the children spent the day at one of William’s polo matches, Kate had a picnic lunch with the little ones. They ate out of plastic containers and sat outside and everything.
Casual Clothes
Although Kate does usually opt for dresses for her public events, when she’s just around her family, she’s a jeans girl. In fact, the whole Cambridge family wore denim for this Christmas card photo. It’s nice to know that the duchess gets a chance to relax and get comfy when she’s not doing her royal duties.
Snowball Fight
The couple that plays together stays together, right? Kate and Will definitely have a fun and playful side to them, as evidenced by this snowball fight they had on a ski trip. It’s part of why the public loves them so much — they’re not afraid to drop that royal facade and just be silly. And speaking of silly…
Raising a Silly Daughter
Kate couldn’t help but laugh when her daughter Princess Charlotte stuck her tongue out at photographers. Rather than getting mad that her daughter wasn’t being polite, the Duchess of Cambridge had a good giggle. Being in the public eye all the time must be exhausting, and sometimes you just have to make fun of the situation.
Letting Her Kids Be Kids
This is in line with letting Charlotte express her naughty side, but we love that the Duchess of Cambridge let little Louis get super messy with some finger paints for his birthday portrait. Kate later joked, “I should’ve taken a photograph of what I looked like after as well!” Guess she got pretty messy, too!
Opening Up About Her Struggles
One way Kate has gotten super real with us is when she went on a podcast to discuss her motherhood struggles. She admitted to finding it hard to balance her work and family, which is something many of us can relate to. Rather than making her appear “weak,” her normality makes her more beloved. She’s real and we can see ourselves in her.
