Prince William reunites with Claudia Schiffer after 'embarrassing' encounter Diana set up
Princess Diana once arranged for the supermodel to surprise her teenage son...
Prince William reunited with Claudia Schiffer at Wednesday’s state banquet, decades after an unforgettable, and slightly embarrassing, surprise meeting orchestrated by Princess Diana.
On Wednesday, the 90s supermodel attended the state banquet held in honour of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and First Lady Elke Büdenbender.
Born in Germany and now married to English film director Matthew Vaughn, Claudia has more than just fashion credentials. She also holds a new aristocratic title.
In July 2025, Matthew was knighted by King Charles for his contributions to the creative industries, granting him the title of Lord Drummond.
That makes Claudia Lady Drummond. At the banquet, she was seated just one down from the king himself, alongside UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
But it’s Prince William who has a unique personal connection to the supermodel, one that dates back to his early teens.
Prince William’s ’embarrassing’ meeting with Claudia Schiffer
Princess Diana once arranged for her son to come home from school to find Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, and Christy Turlington waiting for him at Kensington Palace.
“He was coming home from school. And we had gotten there before he had gotten home,” Naomi recalled in a 2020 YouTube video with Cindy Crawford. “We were just like, ‘What do we do?’ I mean, it was so sweet.”
William himself remembered the moment in the 2017 documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy. He described his reaction as a mix of awe and teenage embarrassment.
“I was probably a 12 or 13-year-old boy who had posters of them on his wall. I went bright red and didn’t quite know what to say and sort of fumbled,” he laughed.
“I think I pretty much fell down the stairs on the way up. I was completely and utterly sort of awestruck.”
Although the moment was overwhelming at the time, William later recognised it as one of his mother’s many gestures of love.
“That’s lived with me forever,” he said. “Her loving and embarrassing and sort of, you know, being the joker.”
This week’s banquet wasn’t the first time William and Claudia had crossed paths since that childhood encounter. In 2002, the supermodel presented him with the Porcelanosa Cup after a charity polo match at Ashe Park in Hampshire.
Prince William news
Meanwhile, before the banquet, Prince William and Princess Kate stepped out for an important royal duty.
The couple represented King Charles and Queen Camilla for the first leg of the state visit as they welcomed German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and First Lady Elke Büdenbender.
It followed the same approach used during US President Donald Trump’s state visit in September. William and Kate also met the American leader and First Lady Melania Trump upon their arrival, before escorting them to meet the monarch.
However, it was a spontaneous display of affection between Queen Camilla and the Prince of Wales that stole the show.
As Camilla approached the couple on the tarmac, cameras caught the queen blowing them a kiss. But she didn’t stop there.
Upon reaching them, she went in for a warm kiss on Prince William’s cheek, followed by the same affectionate greeting for Princess Kate.
Fans quickly reacted on social media. “Camilla sending a kiss to Catherine and William today. So sweet,” one user posted on X.
Another added: “William loves and respects his father. He has showed this by accepting and loving Camilla.”
Read more: Touching moment between Prince William and Queen Camilla on state visit caught on camera
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