Why Kate Middleton's Princess Shuffle Has Gone Viral

An ever-so-subtle movement made by Kate Middleton has gone viral on TikTok. And, it's safe to say that she could never have anticipated that this little moment caught on camera would take the internet by storm. The internet has named Kate's steps the "Princess Shuffle," and contrary to how it may sound, Kate Middleton has not invented a new dance — at least not on purpose.

Back in February 2022, the Princess of Wales visited Copenhagen, and a video of an interesting moment from Denmark's warm welcome for the princess has just surfaced, much to the enjoyment of royal family fans and TikTok dance enthusiasts alike. The video shows Kate at Christian IX's Palace posing for photos with Denmark's Queen Margrethe and Crown Princess Mary. When Queen Margrethe reaches out to Kate to encourage her to move closer for the photo op, Kate does a subtle scooting motion in her black pointed-toe pumps to move over in the most elegant and Princess-like way possible. This dainty heel-to-toe maneuver has caught plenty of folks' attention, and it's been aptly named the "Princess Shuffle."

On Monday, April 24th, TikTok user @the.royal.watcher posted the video with text reading "royal fans are going crazy for the 'Princess Shuffle' that Kate uses to [discretely] get closer to people in pictures." The footage is set to music that makes the maneuver look even more like the latest dance craze than it already did. In just two days, the video has already garnered 1.9 million views and over 90,000 likes. It's also, of course, received plenty of comments from fans about how much they love the accidental choreography, as well as questions about why the princess did the scoot at all. One commenter hypothesized, "it may be that many photos were being taken and she was trying to avoid a pic of her legs separate, [sic]" while another remarked, "This is less [discrete] and less smooth than just taking that tiny step over." 

While some just wanted to get to the bottom of how the "Princess Shuffle" was created, others simply praised her for her subtlety. One said, "And in heels! I would definitely get caught on the carpet and wipe out;" another added, "that's a neat trick! Years of [practice!]" It's surely true that years of princess practice have brought us the "Princess Shuffle," and we can't help but get flashbacks to "The Princess Diaries." Controversial as it may be, we think Kate Middleton would be able to beat Mia Thermopolis in a princess dance battle after seeing these moves.