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Kate Middleton had a close relationship with Queen Elizabeth II. A royal family expert says Kate was reportedly fighting back tears after she recently encountered a reminder of the late monarch. Here’s what the expert says caused the Princess of Wales to become emotional.

Kate Middleton’s relationship with Queen Elizabeth II

Kate Middleton touches her hair and looks away.
Kate Middleton | Jane Barlow – WPA Pool/Getty Images

Princess Kate and Queen Elizabeth II had a special bond. Kate first met the queen in 2008 at the wedding of Peter Phillips, Prince William’s cousin. She told ITV during a 2010 interview that the queen was very friendly.

“Well, I first met her at Peter and Autumn’s wedding and again it was amongst a lot of other guests, and she was very friendly,” Kate tells ITV (via The Telegraph).

Prince William agreed that the late monarch welcomed Kate with open arms. “She was very welcoming,” says William. “She knew it was a big day and everything was going on with Peter and Autumn. She had wanted to meet Kate for a while, so it was very nice for her to come over and say hello. We had a little chat and got on very well.”

According to royal expert Neil Sean, Kate saw Queen Elizabeth as a trusted friend. “She said that Her Majesty the Queen not only was just a wonderful lady but also a very good friend, a confidant,” says Sean in his video commentary. “[She was] someone she could really rely on and chat to at any given moment when she was having serious moments of doubt, as I’m sure she would be in such a big role.”

Kate Middleton was reportedly ‘overcome with emotion’ after this

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Sean says a source told him Kate is coping with the loss of Queen Elizabeth by keeping busy. “She told a good source that the way forward was to just keep your head down and keep moving forward,” says Sean. “But she’s admitted to a good pal that there are moments that catch her off guard.”

According to Sean, a source told him that Kate became emotional after walking into a room and smelling Queen Elizabeth’s perfume. “She told a source that it’s this one thing that could trigger literally tears and indeed happy memories, but bittersweet memories, was the smell of the former monarch’s [perfume].”

Sean says the monarch reportedly loved the brand Floris. She wore a fragrance by the name of White Rose. Sean says it had a fresh, fruity scent. “According to that source, Katherine recently walked into a room and instantly smelled it, and sadly was overcome with emotion,” says Sean.   

The royal family continues to grieve the loss of Queen Elizabeth II

Sean says sometimes a scent can have a stronger impact than a picture. Fragrances can evoke vivid memories of a loved one we’ve lost. Although they differ from us in many ways, Sean says the British royal family grieves just like the rest of us.

 “It’s no different for the British monarchy,” says Sean. He says just because they are carrying on with their duties doesn’t mean they aren’t affected when someone close to them dies. “It’s reassuring, I often think, when people on that level just confide and say, ‘Yeah, we’re all the same,’” adds Sean. “It doesn’t matter who you are.”

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