9 times the royal family have cried in public, from Meghan Markle’s Netflix tears to Kate Middleton at a war memorial
PRINCE William revealed the “only time he’s ever cried when watching a sport” was when cousin Zara Tindall won in eventing, during a surprise podcast appearance earlier this week.
But while the royal family are often seen as pillars of refinement, there have been occasions when they have cried in public and shown their emotions.
Speaking on Mike Tindall’s show, the Prince of Wales admitted: “The only time I’ve ever cried when watching sport was when Zara won. I think it was the European championship.
“I was down in Exmoor at the time camping. We were all huddling around the phone watching it. She was there she was blubbing away the flag was going up. I was in pieces.”
However, the Prince of Wales isn’t the only royal to freely display their emotions….
Princess Diana at a hospice
William and Harry’s late mother Diana was known for showing empathy, and even was called the People’s Princess because of her incredible compassion.
During one public engagement, the royal was moved to tears after meeting individuals at Ashworth Hospice in Liverpool.
She was spotted covering her mouth and shedding a tear as she left the visit.
Camilla at the Safelives Centre
Queen Camilla broke down in tears as she visited the Safelives Centre in London in January 2016.
During the engagement she spoke to victims of domestic abuse and was visibly moved by their stories.
Among the individuals was Diana Parkes, whose daughter Joanna Brown was murdered by husband Robert.
The late Queen at a yacht decommissioning
Despite her stoic personality, the Queen has shown her emotions on a number occasions.
She famously shed a tear when the Royal Yacht Britannia was decommissioned in 1997 after 22 years of service.
Her Majesty had launched the ship in 1953 and it had carried the royal family on a number of official and personal voyages.
It carried the Queen and other family members on a grand total of 696 foreign visits and 272 visits in British waters – including Charles and Diana’s honeymoon in 1981.
The late Queen at the Field of Remembrance
Another time the Queen shared her sadness was during the opening of the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey in 2002.
The visit was particularly poignant as she took on her late mother’s role during the ceremony.
The open-air service was held in tribute to Britain’s war heroes and tears rolled down the Queen’s face during the minute’s silence.
Princess Kate at a World War I memorial
In 2014, Kate and Prince William wandered through a ceramic poppy display around the Tower of London which honoured World War I soldiers.
Kate hailed the scene as “amazing” and was seen wiping her eyes during her visit.
Meghan Markle’s Netflix trailer
Meghan and Harry’s trailer for their Netflix documentary showed the duchess sobbing.
The clip included an intimate insight into the couple’s lives, and featured Meghan crying with a phone in her hand.
The voiceover of Prince Harry’s voice said: “No one sees what’s going on behind closed doors.”
There was also a brief clip of the couple sitting on the sofa, with Meghan wiping tears from her eyes.
Meghan added in the trailer: “When the stakes are this high doesn’t it make more sense to hear our story from us?”
Prince Harry at Invictus
The Duke of Sussex looked tearful as wife Meghan introduced him to the stage at the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games last year.
During her speech, Meghan said she could not “love and respect him more”.
After appearing emotional, Harry exchanged an intimate kiss with Meghan in front of the watching crowd, which was an uncharacteristic form of PDA for the royal family.
King Charles after the Queen’s death
While Charles remained stoic and composed for many of the appearances that followed the Queen’s passing, understandably he did shed tears during a few moving moments.
He was photographed wiping away a tear as he and Camilla arrived at Buckingham Palace for the first time in his monarchy.
Later, the mourning King was seen once again shedding a tear following meeting well-wishers outside the palace.
Sophie Wessex after Prince Philip’s passing
King Charles wasn’t the only family member to display visible emotions of sadness following a royal passing.
Sophie Wessex was tearful after saying Prince Philip’s death left a “giant-sized hole” in the royal family.
She fought back tears speaking of how the pandemic “slightly skewed things”, and they weren’t able to grieve properly.
The Duke of Edinburgh passed away peacefully at Windsor Castle in 2021.