Yesterday, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, was among the senior Royals who gathered at Westminster Abbey for the annual Commonwealth Day service. While King Charles shared a warm embrace with Prince William, greeting his eldest son with a kiss on the cheek, no such exchange took place between the Monarch and his beloved daughter-in-law.

The appearance comes just days after the royal family celebrated International Women’s Day, sharing a special tribute on their official social pages. But two glaring omissions caught everyone’s attention: Princess Catherine and, even more shockingly, Princess Diana—two royal icons beloved by the public and obvious choices for such a post.

As expected, this oversight or snub of the Princess of Wales didn’t sit well with royal followers, who flooded the comments section with questions about her absence for the occasion. Instead of a kiss, Catherine greeted her father-in-law with a warm smile and a graceful curtsy, a moment captured by photographers. She also curtsied while greeting Queen Camila, maintaining her composed and elegant demeanor.

The lack of a more personal interaction wasn’t a slight but likely a result of the formal setting and structured nature of the event. Meanwhile, The Prince and Princess of Wales stayed in their lane on their social media. They paid tribute to inspirational women they’ve met over the past year—from a Holocaust survivor to a young photographer who passed away from cancer. A much more relatable and heartfelt gesture, really.

In the end, the royal family found themselves a bit red-faced. It seems they overlooked an important detail, while Catherine, as always, proved she has her own unique style. Historically, both males and females have bowed and curtsied at all times when greeting people who are of higher royal rank than they are, including family members. The gesture is often very subtle and used as a sign of respect for the royal family.

Dressed elegantly for the occasion, the Princess of Wales looked beautiful in a red Katherine Walker coat and pillbox hat by Gina Foster as she greeted senior members of the monarchy. Queen Camila was pretty in pink with a wool crepe and satin coat dress by Fiona CLA and coordinating beret hat by Philip Tracy. This design is a staple in Princess Catherine’s wardrobe, as she has been snapped wearing it three times.

Following Commonwealth Day in 2022, she wore it again during the Easter service the following year, and then again at the King’s coronation celebration in Scotland the same year. In 2018, Princess Catherine was heavily pregnant with her third child, Prince Louis. The Princess of Wales opted for a navy Bula London coat for the ceremony in 2018, which was a rather subdued dark blue tone. This is unlike Catherine, as she is often seen in bright and vibrant colors. However, the design nipped her in just below her bust to show off her blooming bump.

In their 2022 documentary, Megan opened up about the wardrobe-related pressure she was under while in the royal family. “Most of the time that I was in the UK, I rarely wore color,” she said, adding, “You can’t ever wear the same color as Her Majesty if there’s a group event. But then you also shouldn’t be wearing the same color as one of the other more senior members of the family. I wore a lot of muted tones. I don’t want to embarrass the family.”

After these comments, it was noteworthy to some that Megan chose to wear muted colors in With Love, Megan, since now would be her chance to wear bold colors for the world with no pushback. Now, just days after the series premiere, Catherine Middleton wore head-to-toe bold red, making folks even more skeptical of Megan’s colorful claims.

The service was attended by other senior Royals, including Princess Anne, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and Queen Camila, who looked elegant in a pink wool crepe and satin coat dress by Fiona CLA, paired with a Philip Tracy beret. However, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh were noticeably absent, with Sophie reportedly traveling to New York on official duties.

Despite the structured nature of the event, the warm gestures between King Charles, Prince William, and Princess Catherine reflected unity within the royal family. This year’s service marked a significant return for both the princess and the king, as neither attended last year due to their respective cancer diagnoses.

Catherine, fortunately, now seems to be in remission and is gradually resuming her engagements. It’s worth noting that in March 2020, she surprised everyone by announcing that she was battling cancer, which forced her to pause her official activities. As they continue their recovery journeys, their presence at such a significant event marks a step forward in their return to public life.