Even in the midst of all of the strict royal protocol and pomp and circumstance, Donald and Melania Trump's state visit with the royal family in the U.K. has still had plenty of viral moments of levity and relatability.
One such moment came right at the beginning of the state visit, when Prince William and Kate Middleton were facilitating the official introductions between the Trumps and King Charles and Queen Camilla. In a clip that went viral among royal watchers, Will and Kate can be seen making the introductions, after which William joins the King and Donald Trump in conversation while Kate gravitates toward the Queen and Melania Trump to chat.
Kate Middleton, Queen Camilla, and Melania Trump chatting on the first day of the state visit.
At first, however, the ladies' conversation seemed to be dominated by Kate and Melania, while Camilla "watched on and looked around," as People put it. The Queen didn't stay on the outskirts of the conversation for long, however, and after just a few moments, she seemed to motion for Kate to step aside with a simple sweep of her hand.
As People notes, if that was what Camilla was motioning for, Kate politely did exactly as requested and seemed to say her goodbyes to Melania for the moment before moving to her husband's side and leaving the Queen and first lady to chat.
Speaking to the Daily Mail about the cheeky viral moment, body language expert Judi James described Camilla's move as "pulling rank" and "appearing to shoo Kate away."
James said that, while Camilla's gesture was, on the surface, a warning to Kate that her carriage was arriving, royal watchers who read a little more into the motion weren't necessarily wrong.
"Kate's energy and her enthusiastic gesticulation seemed to tune with Melania, who turned her head away from Camilla to talk, using some subtly mirrored responses as she did so," James explained. "As the Princess and the First Lady appeared to be in tune here, Camilla turned her head as though feeling slightly left out."
So, in a moment of peak royal relatability, the Queen did what many people do when they feel left out and made a point to get back into the conversation—even if making that point came out a little awkwardly.
"When she turned back to warn Kate, she seemed to break up a good conversation, and the problem came with her quick flapping of her hand that appeared to shoo Kate away," James said. "A small smile, nudge and point might have been more acceptable as a gesture to the woman who will be queen, but the lack of a smile and the hard flapping looked rather authoritative here."
To be fair, "rather authoritative" is a pretty fitting vibe for a literal Queen to exude, so if anyone can make it work, it's Camilla.