The Princess of Wales had a close relationship with Queen Elizabeth II, with the pair sharing mutual trust and respect for one another. As well as the late Queen showing support for some of Catherine’s work and initiatives, including her Back to Nature garden at the Chelsea Flower Show 2019 and her National Portrait Gallery photography competition in 2020, Her Late Majesty was also an admirer of the Princess’s enviable locks, according to Prince Harry.
The Duke of Sussex recalled his wife Meghan’s meeting with his father, then Prince Charles and stepmother, Camilla, in his memoir, Spare, published in 2023. He wrote: “Meg looked beautiful and I told her so. She was wearing a black-and-white dress, with a full skirt, patterned with flowers, and when I put my hand on her back, I could feel how delicate the material was. Her hair was down, because I suggested she wear it that way. Pa likes it when women wear their hair down. Granny too. She often commented on ‘Catherine’s beautiful mane.'”
Photo: © Getty Images
The Princess of Wales has experimented with her hair length and colour through her 14 years as a royal, including a fringe after the birth of her daughter, Princess Charlotte, in 2015, a bob in 2017, and more recently, blonde highlights after her summer break
Catherine’s relationship with Queen Elizabeth II
A year into her marriage with Prince William, Catherine carried out her first engagement with the late Queen in 2012, alongside Prince Philip. The trio visited Leicester as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee tour of the UK, while William was deployed in the Falkland Islands at the time.
Photo: © Samir Hussein/WireImage
In 2019, the then Duchess of Cambridge stepped out for her first solo public engagement with the monarch, as the pair paid a visit to King’s College London to open Bush House – an education and learning facility on the Strand Campus.
Catherine also recalled her nerves at joining the royal family for Christmas for the first time and finding the perfect gift for Elizabeth II. Speaking on the ITV documentary, Our Queen at Ninety, in 2016, she said: “I can remember being at Sandringham, for the first time, at Christmas. And I was worried what to give the Queen as her Christmas present. I was thinking, ‘Gosh, what should I give her?'”
She continued: “I thought, ‘I’ll make her something.’ Which could have gone horribly wrong. But I decided to make my granny’s recipe of chutney. I was slightly worried about it, but I noticed the next day that it was on the table. I think such a simple gesture went such a long way for me and I’ve noticed since she’s done that on lots of occasions and I think it just shows her thoughtfulness, really, and her care in looking after everybody.”
Princess Catherine and Queen Elizabeth II in 10 delightful photos
June 13 2012
Princess Catherine and the late Queen clearly found something amusing during a Diamond Jubilee visit to Nottingham.
February 17 2024
The pair looked very patriotic in colours at the Dramatic Arts reception at Buckingham Palace.
5 July 2015
The Queen stopped to chat to Princess Catherine while at the Christening of Princess Charlotte.
17 June 2017
The Queen and Princess Catherine seemed fond of Prince George’s chatter while at Trooping the Colour.
11 November 2018
Princess Catherine kept the Queen company at the Remembrance Sunday Memorial Service.
9 June 2018
In another Trooping the Colour moment, the royal ladies were matching in blue.
20 May 2019
Princess Catherine took the Queen on a special tour of the Back to Nature Garden during the 2019 RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
8 December 2020
Pictured during the pandemic, the Queen chatted to Princess Catherine and Prince William.
11 June 2021
Princess Catherine giggled when the Queen considered cutting a cake with a rather large knife at The Eden Project.
2 June 2022
The Queen and Princess Catherine were unfazed by Prince Louis’ dramatic outburst at Trooping the Colour.
Princess Catheyrine and Queen Elizabeth had a special bond