Princess Kate can't hide her reaction to being told off during royal engagement


The Princess of Wales saw her composure momentarily slip when she was reprimanded for not focusing properly while attending a charity event


Gemma Strong
Gemma StrongOnline Digital News Director
36 minutes ago

The Princess of Wales is always perfectly poised at royal events, the epitome of grace and composure.

But there was a time when her composure momentarily slipped at a charity event - and resulted in one of our favourite videos of the future queen.

The event took place back in December 2014, when Kate was still the Duchess of Cambridge. She and Prince William travelled for a three-day official visit to the United States, centered primarily in New York City.

One of her engagements saw Kate visit the Northside Center for Child Development where she joined a group of women to help wrap Christmas presents for underprivileged children.

The royal was warmly greeted upon her arrival and, after taking her seat in front at the wrapping station, turned to chat to some of the other ladies in the room. 

As a result, she became momentarily distracted from the task at hand - and became chastised as a result. 

One of the supervisors at the US charity did not stand on ceremony for the VIP guests, and was heard instructing Kate off camera to 'keep wrapping', prompting the Princess to roll her eyes at the interruption. But she obediently then turned her full attention back to the job at hand.

Kate Middleton rolls her eyes after being told to keep wrapping Christmas presents during visit to Northside Center for Child Development on December 8, 2014© Getty Images
Kate had the best reaction to the interruption

At the time Kate was five months pregnant with her second baby, Princess Charlotte.

Fast-forward to present day, and the royal has plenty more royal engagements under her belt. But that doesn't mean everything always goes to plan. Such was the case during her visit to Reggio Emilia, Italy, in May this year.

The two-day trip predominantly focused on educational sites as part of the Princess's work with early childhood studies. But she also made time for a pasta-making workshop on a rural farm stay in Parma called Agriturismo 'Al Vigneto'. 

During the instruction, chef Signor Lampredi demonstrated the techniques to create tortelli, a stuffed pasta local to the region.

Kate Middleton breaks pasta making machine during visit to Reggio Emilia, Italy in May 2026© WireImage
Chef Signor Lampredi quickly picked the handle up off the floor

While preparing to roll out the pasta dough, Princess Kate reached for the handle of the pasta machine, only to knock it to the floor. In a very relatable reaction, she exclaimed: "Whoops!" and giggled, before saying "I've broken it!"

Thankfully, Signor Lampredi was quick to help, jumping in to pick up the handle and laughing as he reattached it.

The Princess regained her focus as she piped filling onto the rolled-out dough, then used a tool to cut the individual pieces. "You are hired!" joked the chef at the end of his instruction.

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