Moment Kate Middleton Was Hit by Sunbeam Goes Viral: 'Magical'

Kate Middleton's appearance at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Wednesday has gone viral on social media after fans spotted a moment where the princess was perfectly illuminated by a shaft of sunlight.

Kate attended the coronation celebrations in Scotland for King Charles, alongside the monarch, Queen Camilla and Prince William on July 5. This was a special cathedral ceremony where Charles was presented with the "Honours of Scotland" (Scottish Crown Jewels).

For the occasion, Kate wore a striking patriotic blue coat-dress in a color paying tribute to the Scottish national flag, accessorized with heirloom pearl and diamond jewels from the royal family collection.

After entering the cathedral with Prince William, the couple—who were referred to throughout the coverage of the event by their principal Scottish titles of Duke and Duchess of Rothesay—took their seats before the high altar.

As the royal group prepared for the service to start, fans spotted that Kate's seat was hit by a beam of sunlight that made her stand out, reflecting off the blue of her outfit.

A clip of the moment was uploaded to video-sharing social-media platform TikTok by user the.royal.watcher and has been viewed 1 million times in under 24 hours.

Captioned "Magical moment for the Princess of Wales as the sun beams down on her like a spotlight when she takes her seat," the clip has received more than 36,000 likes and almost 700 comments, many of which have praised the royal and her appearance at St Giles'.

"She is the chosen one," wrote one TikTok user. "The universe was speaking!" added another.

"That's beautiful and so is she. I adore her and I think she is an asset to this family," read a further comment, with another viewer writing: "She deserves every spotlight. I bet it's the late Queen & Diana smiling down at her."

Kate has taken on a more prominent role within the royal family since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.

In the hours after acceding to the throne, the new King Charles gave his eldest son, William, the prestigious royal title of Prince of Wales, one he had formerly held for over five decades. As such, Kate became the Princess of Wales, the first royal to use the title publicly since the death of Princess Diana in 1997, though Queen Camilla was also technically Princess of Wales, following her 2005 marriage to Charles.

As Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate are the most-senior members of the royal family behind the king and queen, and they have undertaken increased numbers of public engagements and responsibilities.

Following the church service at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh on Wednesday, William and Kate joined Charles and Camilla back at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the monarch's official residence in Scotland. There they watched a ceremonial flypast marking the end of the day's celebrations.

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

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