Kate Middleton's Regal Gestures Caught on Camera

The Princess of Wales won praise from fans after a compilation of her gestures made to members of the public and other senior royals went viral on TikTok.

Kate Middleton became a senior royal in 2011 when she married Prince William, and her role within the monarchy increased in 2022 as she became the new Princess of Wales.

Since joining the royal family, Kate has grown a strong and loyal fanbase, regularly topping polls as the most popular royal in both the United Kingdom and the United States. As such she has increasingly become the subject of viral internet posts and videos across social media platforms.

A number of these have focused on gestures made by the princess, notably curtsies.

These reverential gestures offered by female members of the royal family to the monarch have become an increasing subject of public fascination in recent years after Meghan Markle was criticized for her re-enactment of the movement in her 2022 Netflix docuseries.

Meghan explained to viewers that at first, she thought being asked to curtsy to Queen Elizabeth II when she was dating Prince Harry was a "joke," and in a likely attempt at self-deprecating humor, performed her curtsy as an exaggerated medieval bow. This earned her criticism from commentators claiming the duchess had disrespected British customs and the late queen.

Following the curtsy controversy, several videos focusing on Meghan and other royals' performance of the gestures were posted online by fans.

Uploaded to TikTok by user @aniston.royalfamily on January 22, the video compiled clips of Kate's curtsies alongside footage of members of the public offering curtsies to her. It also featured other respectful gestures offered by the princess, including handshakes and waves.

The video, captioned "Princess Catherine with Royal Protocol," has been viewed over 150,000 times on the social media platform so far.

Included in the video is footage captured during the weekend of celebrations for the coronation of King Charles III, which took place in May 2023. Kate attended a number of events connected with the historic occasion, being photographed offering her father-in-law, the king, curtsies at both Westminster Abbey and Windsor Castle.

Another clip shows Kate offering a curtsy to Queen Rania of Jordan in June 2023, during the wedding celebrations of Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan and Princess Rajwa.

The viral post has received in excess of 14,000 likes and numerous comments, many of which have praised Kate and her gestures of respect.

"So regal. She is always so respectful of the people she meets and you can see that they love her," wrote one TikTok user, adding a crown emoji.

"She is the most beautiful woman," posted another commenter, with a further comment reading: "She is born for being a princess."

Kate made headlines earlier this month when it was revealed that the princess had been hospitalized to undergo planned abdominal surgery in London.

A Kensington Palace announcement on January 17 said that the royal would remain under medical supervision for up to two weeks before taking an extended break to recuperate at home.

Kate isn't expected to return to public duties until after Easter.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.