Kate Middleton and Prince William's awkward mistake as they broke royal protocol at special family gathering

Kate Middleton and Prince William's awkward mistake when they broke royal protocol at a family gathering might have gone unnoticed by fans.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have been observed pushing the boundaries of royal life a little more in recent years as they forge their own path as future King and Queen. From taking selfies with fans at engagements to signing off messages with their initials, Prince William and Kate are taking a more personal approach. However, there are still plenty of traditions and protocols that they uphold and royal occasions often involve a lot more of these. This makes Prince William and Kate’s mistake back in 2018 all the more awkward as they broke protocol at the traditional Easter service at Windsor Castle.

According to Hello!, the Prince and Princess of Wales arrived late to the Royal Family’s Easter service. Whilst this might be considered a faux pas generally, it also meant they arrived after Queen Elizabeth which is reportedly a breach of protocol. 

The publication's royal correspondent Emily Nash claimed at the time that the Royal Family tend to arrive at events in order of rank, with the monarch arriving last. This was noticeably the case at King Charles and Queen Camilla's coronation last year, when the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children arrived next-to-last, followed by Their Majesties.

Prince William and Kate arriving after Queen Elizabeth had already gone inside for the Easter service was therefore a departure from the traditional protocol, but it apparently happened for a very relatable reason. Hello! alleged that roadworks were the cause of the couple’s lateness as they had supposedly been travelling from Kate’s parents' house in Bucklebury.

Although not confirmed, it's possible that the couple communicated with members of the Queen's team and that she was aware of their prospective arrival time. 

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Either way, Queen Elizabeth looked to be in good spirits as she exited St George's Chapel after the service - as did Prince William and Kate. So it seems that although they did awkwardly break protocol at this annual family gathering, it didn’t affect everyone's enjoyment of the occasion.

At the time the Princess of Wales was pregnant with Prince Louis and in 2022 the couple brought their eldest children Prince George and Princess Charlotte to the Easter service in Windsor for the first time. On this occasion they were the most senior royals there and led the Royal Family in walking down to the chapel. 

In 2023 Prince Louis joined his parents and siblings walking to church on Easter Sunday for the first time. It's not known whether the Wales family will be at the Easter service this year as the Princess of Wales continues to recover from abdominal surgery. 

Kensington Palace previously stated that she is "unlikely" to resume public-facing duties until after Easter as whilst the service isn't an engagement, the walk to church is still very public and officially photographed. If Kate doesn't attend, it's still possible that the Prince of Wales will be there and he could take Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis with him as many more of Queen Elizabeth's great-grandchildren tend to be there too. 

The Wales kids are known to get along incredibly well with them and at Christmas Zara Tindall's daughter Mia walked alongside them to church. Easter would be a lovely opportunity to spend time with their wider family at another special gathering.