Introducing the \201cPrincess Shuffle\201d: A Classy Kate Middleton Moment So Subtle It Took 14 Months to Go Viral

(Image credit: Getty)

published 25 April 2023

Have you ever heard of the “Princess Shuffle”? Over 1 million people on TikTok have, and it centers around the Princess of Wales heel to toe scooting to get closer to Queen Margrethe of Denmark while in that country for a visit in February 2022 (back when she was the Duchess of Cambridge still). It’s what People calls a “stealthy move to change position for [a] photo op” and it’s gone viral.

While posing for photos during her official welcome to Denmark alongside that country’s Queen and her daughter-in-law, Crown Princess Mary, at Christian IX’s Palace (the Queen’s official residence), the Queen extended her arm to invite Kate closer to her for a photo. As she looked at the photographers assembled, Kate shuffled closer to the Queen—and TikToker @the.royal.watcher caught it and posted it yesterday. It already has surpassed 1 million views and 50,000 likes.

“And in heels!” remarked one commenter, zooming in on Kate’s black stiletto pumps. “I would definitely get caught on the carpet and wipe out.”

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The subtle repositioning was apparently so subtle that it took us all a full 14 months to even notice it. Thank you for your service, @the.royal.watcher. I wonder if this is something Kate learned in her training on how to be a royal?

And fun royal trivia fact for your next dinner party: Queen Margrethe is, after Queen Elizabeth’s death last September, the only currently reigning queen regnant in the world. I’ll be back with more factoids later—off to practice my “Princess Shuffle” for my next photo op…

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.