Kate Middleton's "princess shuffle," which helped her seamlessly smooth over an awkward moment during a tour of Denmark, has gone viral on TikTok.
The Princess of Wales was on a rare solo trip without husband Prince William on February 23, 2022, when she met Queen Margrethe II and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark.
The royal trio lined up together for pictures at Christian IX's Palace in Copenhagen, but accidentally left too much space between them.
Not one to create a scene, Kate used her "princess shuffle" to sidle up to the Danish queen, closing the space between them, while maintaining her posture and facing the camera for the photograph.
A video of the moment was liked 111,000 times and viewed 2.2 million times and was posted with the message: "Royal fans are going crazy for the 'Princess Shuffle' that Kate uses to discretely get closer to people in pictures."
One fan replied: "I feel like it's so she doesn't look weird scooting in one big leap in case they photograph every second."
Another comment, liked more than 8,000 times, read: "The princess shuffle! I love everything about this."
The meeting of monarchies came in the same year that Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her platinum jubilee and the Danish queen, who had recently recovered from coronavirus, her golden jubilee.
After sharing a private lunch together, Kate joined the princess at her Mary Foundation which helps protect vulnerable women and children from domestic violence.
It was a major trip for Kate, not only as a solo overseas tour but also as the first time she took her work researching early years development international.
Kensington Palace said at the time: "This is the first time The Duchess will be bringing the work of The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood to the international stage.
"The Centre aims to drive awareness of and action on the extraordinary impact of the early years.
"On this trip, it will learn from Denmark's example as a country widely recognized as a world leader in its approach and investment in early childhood development."
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston 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.
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About the writer
Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more
