William has previously shared his deep sadness over the reality that his beloved mother never met his wife and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. The royal, who will celebrate his 44th birthday later this week, previously said that he would have “loved her to have met Catherine”.
Speaking of the interaction between Sophie and Catherine yesterday, Ms James told the Daily Express: “Catherine and Sophie traditionally seek each other out at this event, and they traditionally tend to get a little giggly together, too.
“After some of the tensions of the Trooping the Colour, they always look relieved to relax and enjoy this event together, displaying high levels of fondness and fun as they do so.
“Their husbands’ Garter outfits seem to prompt some of the smiles. Unlike William and Edward’s rather dashing uniforms and bearskins for the Trooping of the Colours, the large floppy hats with feathers of the Garter might not be quite as flattering and can often trigger smiles or grins.
Speaking of Diana, she added: “But the two women’s signals of what looks like avid chatting, laughing and fun together do define the strength of their relationship while maybe providing a touching, poignant hint of how Kate and Diana might have been together, had Diana lived.”
The Order of the Garter is one of the most recognisable royal traditions. The major event takes place just days after Trooping the Colour, which marks the monarch’s official birthday. The service is an annual parade held in Windsor and was founded by King Edward III in 1348.
As their husbands came into view, Catherine and Sophie were both seen grinning from ear to ear, to which fans took to social media to react. One fan commented: “I always love exactly that moment with both of them and their husbands – there’s such a flirty and lovely sparkle in their eyes…between both of the couples.. [heart-eyed emoji].”
The first account then wrote: “They are such school girls still.”