Kate Middleton’s subtle gesture yesterday was ‘a big deal’

Kate Middleton made a small gesture yesterday that was a “huge thing” royal watchers have claimed, and was actually a breach of traditional protocol. The Princess of Wales flipped pancakes during an outing yesterday.

During the visit, the Princess made a gesture that anyone might have missed, but is in fact an unusual habit for a royal. Kate took her coat off.

The wife of Prince William, next-in-line for the British throne, visited a nursing home, the Oxford House Nursing Home in Slough. The outing came after Kate attended the BAFTAs in a white dress and black opera gloves, a look a style expert dubbed a “miss”.

The mother-of-three wore a camel coat from Max & Co over a navy turtle neck and trousers combo to arrive at Oxford House Nursing Home. However, when inside she removed her coat.

Royal fans were quick to notice this, which might seem an innocuous and obvious thing to do to some. However, this “disrobing” shows a stark evolution within the Royal Family, one of them claims.

A US royal TiKToker noted the move. Content creator @matta_of_fact creates videos serving the “Intersectional royalTEA” on her public TikTok account where she has a huge 1.2M followers thanks to her insight.

She told her viewers the move was in direct contrast to the behaviour of the late Queen. She said: “If this doesn’t feel like a big deal, this is why it struck me.

READ MORE: ‘They know when and where to show affection’: Rare Kate and William PDA wows fans

Royal etiquette experts have explained the ancient royal protocol behind royals keeping their coats on, protocol the Queen always followed.

Daena Borrowman, a royal ettiquette expert, told Express previosuly: “Royal women are expected to keep their coats on at social events. Disrobing in public is perceived as distasteful according to royal protocol.”

But, it appears the Princess of Wales is ignoring this particular element of royal protocol. There are a number of little-known and sometimes strange royal rules members of the family follow, although as Kate has shown, some of these are subject to modernisation.

Royal women are expected to dress modestly and wear tights or stockings. Modern royals are also expected not to wade into the politics of the day, so as not to wield undue influence.

Royals still curtsied to the Monarch, even when in private, during the late Queen’s rule, although Prince Charles may not carry on with the formality.

One of the most notable pieces of protocol still in place by law is that royal descendants must ask the monarch’s approval before proposing. This is laid out in the Royal Marriages Act of 1772.