The U.K. radio host was hosting the Princess of Wales at his parents' house when Middleton took off her shoes.
Kate Middleton made a surprising move during her recent interview with U.K. radio host Roman Kemp.
Detailing the interaction with the Princess of Wales, Kemp told The Times about the surprising but "respectful" gesture from Middleton during their talk about mental health earlier this year. Kemp said that Middleton reached out after the airing of his BBC documentary, Roman Kemp: Our Silent Emergency, about the mental health crisis affecting young men in the U.K.
Describing the call from the royal as "an honor but one of the weirdest things," Kemp detailed how Middleton had asked to come pay him a visit.
"We had a Zoom call, just her and me," Kemp recalled. "And she was like, 'Oh, you know, I can come over to your place and do it there.' And I just said, 'No, let's go to my parents'.' It's a bigger house. I don't want to bring royalty to a flat in Vauxhall."
Kemp said Middleton kept things casual, sitting with the family, including their dogs, at the kitchen counter. What's more, she took her shoes off at the door before entering his parents' home.
"The funniest thing was she didn't have any shoes on because she was respectful enough to take her shoes off at the door," Kemp, the son of pop stars Martin Kemp and Shirlie Holliman said. "That really stuck in my head because you never see royalty with no shoes."
While the move was definitely a surprising one from Middleton, it's not the first time that she's gone barefoot.
She previously removed her shoes during royal engagements, including a visit to a museum in India back in 2016 to pay respect to Mohandas Gandhi.
In a video released from the pair's January visit, Middleton and Kemp discussed the status of mental health across the U.K. and the importance of establishing mental wellness and positive relationships in early childhood -- something Middleton focusses on in her Shaping Us campaign. Middleton launched the campaign as part of The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood back in June 2021.
"All you have to do is look around, especially, you know, at the country, and see people are not just struggling with raising kids, they're struggling with just putting a roof above their heads, to be able to heat their house," the radio host and mental health advocate said. "So, all of those things can come into play."
"Yes, absolutely," Middleton agreed. "And this is the thing, is that every family is different. The pressures we face are all different, whilst raising the importance of early childhood. This isn't about putting extra pressure on families. It's actually saying they need the support and help reprioritizing family life, home life and all that it takes in raising children today because it is tough."
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