Kate Middleton arrives alone at a royal reception
On January 15, 2026, Princess Kate Middleton made a rare decision by driving herself to a royal engagement at Windsor Castle. The Princess of Wales hosted a reception honoring England’s women’s rugby team for their World Cup victory in September 2025, for which she is a patron. A recent video shared by the account @RoyallyBelle_ on X showed the Princess leaving the car by herself. However, her entrance was aided by royal personnel, who walked her into the castle with an umbrella during the rainy weather.
Living close might explain the unusual decision
Senior royals are usually driven to official events, but Kate Middleton’s decision might have had a practical reason. She lives approximately 3.5 miles from Windsor Castle, at Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park. Kate, Prince William, and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, moved there in October 2025 from Adelaide Cottage. This new home offers more space and privacy for the family.
A new chapter for the Wales family
Adelaide Cottage was linked to several difficult years, including the death of Queen Elizabeth in 2022, the difficulties involving Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s exit from the royal family, and the announcements that both Princess Kate and King Charles were diagnosed with cancer. As of now, the Princess of Wales is in remission, while the King continues treatment.
“Adelaide Cottage was a place of pain, suffering and sadness. After such rough times it’s perfectly understandable they would want a new place,” royal expert Sally Bedell Smith told PEOPLE.
Meanwhile, the Windsor reception marked Kate’s first solo royal duty of 2026. The mother of two chose to wear a red Alexander McQueen pantsuit, a clear nod to the rugby team’s Red Roses nickname.