Princess Kate Middleton handled the surprising comment with humor
Princess Kate Middleton once had an unexpected interaction during a royal visit when someone mistook her for Prince William’s assistant. The incident happened in 2020 when the royal couple visited Shire Hall Care Home in Cardiff after COVID-19 lockdown restrictions eased. The couple’s visit took place months after they had joined residents for a virtual bingo game. During the meeting, resident Joan Drew Smith joked about the couple’s poor bingo skills and told them they had done a terrible job during the online event.
“Hello Joan, do you remember we did the bingo with you? You said we weren’t very good!,” the Prince of Wales said.
The princess answered with a quick and clever joke
While speaking with the couple, Drew Smith looked at Prince William and asked if Princess Kate Middleton was his assistant. Instead of becoming uncomfortable, the Princess of Wales answered with a smile. “Well, I am your assistant. I have been for a long time!” she replied. The response quickly became one of the most talked-about moments in the exchange because of how graciously she handled the situation. The Prince of Wales also laughed during the exchange and admitted that neither of them had played bingo before. Then, Kate added that their lack of experience explained why they performed poorly during the game.
But is Princess Kate Middleton responsible for the assistance?
Although the Princess’ response was humorous, many royal fans have pointed out that there was some truth behind her joke. As the Princess of Wales, one of her main responsibilities is supporting the Prince of Wales while he prepares for his future role as king. According to a report published by The Times in April 2025, the mother of three sees her position as a supportive partnership, similar to that held by the late Prince Phillip and the late Queen Elizabeth II.
“Kate has always seen her role as a supporting one. She is understood to have been inspired by the late Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, who made an individual contribution while being very clear that his role was to support the monarch,” the 2025 report by The Times said.
