Kate Middleton’s Emotional Video Message Contained a Hidden Tribute to Queen Elizabeth

Mar. 15, 2025

Kate Middletonis honoring thelate Queen Elizabethin her own way.

The Princess of Wales, 42, appeared to include a subtle nod to the late monarch inher latest video message, in which she revealed that she had finished chemotherapy treatment after beingdiagnosed with cancerearlier this year.

In the emotional video, Kate could be seen driving a Land Rover in strikingly similar footage to the Queen doing the same in the 1992 documentaryElizabeth R: A Year in the Life of the Queen.

Kate Middleton driving in a video released Sept. 9, 2024.The Prince and Princess of Wales/Youtube

The Prince and Princess of Wales/Youtube

The timing of the video’s release is also notable, as it was shared on Monday, Sept. 9, just one day after the second anniversary of the Queen’s death on Sept. 8.

“She knows what resonates. She will have absorbed a lot from this Queen,” Bedell Smith told PEOPLE, adding that Kate also embodied the Queen’s unofficial motto for public life: “Never complain, never explain.”

Kate Middleton in a 2024 video message and Queen Elizabeth in a 1992 documentary ‘Elizabeth R: A Year in the Life of the Queen’.The Prince and Princess of Wales/Youtube; BBC

The Prince and Princess of Wales/Youtube; BBC

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The Queen had “this definitive style, almost like a uniform, which also works for Kate,” a friend told PEOPLE.

The Queen arrives in her Range Rover on the second day of the Royal Windsor Horse Show on May 13, 2005 in Windsor, England.Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty

Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty

“Catherine understood that for William, as a future king, it was important for him to be geographically closer to the late Queen in her final months, when he was required to support both her and his father. It made a real difference,” he wrote. “They were in regular contact, seeing each other in person and speaking on the phone several times a week, bringing them even closer.”

Kate Middleton and Queen Elizabeth watch a fashion show at De Montfort University on March 8, 2012 in Leicester, England.Oli Scarff - WPA Pool / Getty

Oli Scarff - WPA Pool / Getty

Another major reason for the move came “down to schooling,” a family friend told PEOPLE at the time.Majestymagazine’s Joe Little noted that was something Queen Elizabeth would have wanted, saying, “She would expect them to carry on with a stiff upper lip and do so with grace.”

Kate’s video message was an unprecedented glimpse inside family life for the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three childrenPrince George, 11,Princess Charlotte, 9, andPrince Louis, 6.

“The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family,” Kate said in the three-minute clip. “Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown.”

She continued, “This time has above all reminded William and me to reflect and be grateful for the simple yet important things in life, which so many of us often take for granted. Of simply loving and being loved,” she said, as footage of both Kate solo as well as with her family is seen onscreen.

source: people.com