The Princess of Wales reportedly uses a discreet tactic to avoid answering personal questions during royal engagements: she turns the focus back on the person she is speaking with. Since joining the Royal Family, Catherine has grown more confident in such settings, at one point even joking that she spends too long chatting to people.
Actor recalls BAFTA encounter
Oscar-winning actor Rami Malek spoke about his first meeting with Prince William's wife at the BAFTAs in 2019, shortly after the birth of Prince Louis. Appearing on the American talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live, Malek described the encounter.
He said: "They work so hard to get to know everybody. Who’s done whatever film they’ve done, their past films, and you can see they’ve done their homework. I just looked at Princess Kate at one point, and I said, ‘This must be exhausting.’ And she said, ‘Why?’ I said, ‘You just had a baby, right? I think she was taken aback."
Deflecting the question
Malek said Catherine deflected from the question, instead asking him: "How are you doing?" He then replied: "No, how are you?" Catherine reportedly gave him a "look" but still did not answer his question about whether she was tired.
It is believed she avoided the topic to keep personal matters private, and has used the same approach during other high-profile moments, including public walkabouts where she meets many members of the public. Catherine is known to enjoy these interactions, once joking that her family teases her for spending too much time talking.
