The Queen's Reaction to Prince William and Kate Middleton's Kitchen is Hilarious

There are few things that highlight the generational gap between grandparents and their grandchildren (not to mention great-grandchildren!) like their choices of interior design. Here's why Queen Elizabeth's response to Prince William and Kate Middleton's newly-renovated kitchen was so perfectly understandable—and hilarious. 

The amount of time Queen Elizabeth spends in any kitchen (including her own) is naturally limited, whereas the kitchen is more of a "family" space for William, Kate, and their children George, 9, Charlotte, 7, and Louis, 4. Which explains the Queen's reaction when she saw the Cambridges' newly redone kitchen for the first time. "I remember when they had just finished renovating Anmer Hall, and they invited the Queen over for lunch," says Sally Bedell Smith, author of Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch. "They have one of those big kitchens with eating areas, and she said, 'I can't understand why everybody spends their time in the kitchen'." Fair enough—can you imagine the Queen perched on a stool at the kitchen island, tucking into some pancakes? No, me neither.

Kitchen renovations aside, few people can argue Kate Middleton has barely put a foot wrong since marrying William in 2011, and her relationship with Queen Elizabeth is famously warm. "The thing about Kate is the Queen was impressed she adored and loved William for himself, not for his title," says Princess Diana's biographer Andrew Morton. "She spends a lot more time supporting and nurturing the relationship between William and Catherine than she did with Charles and Diana. It's pretty clear she wasn't going to make that mistake again."

Royal sources say Queen Elizabeth was thrilled when William and Kate finally tied the knot years after meeting in university. "The Queen was positively playful on the day of her grandson's nuptials, 'practically skipping' according to one observer, absolutely thrilled at the way the public had reacted to the royal newlyweds," says Morton. "She had a sense that the future of the Royal Family, her family, was now secure. The monarchy was once again held in admiration and affection by the masses."

One of the reasons William and Kate are moving from London to Windsor is to spend more time with the Queen, sources say. "The whole family [is] extremely excited to be moving to Windsor, not just because it will bring them closer to [Queen Elizabeth II] but it's a perfect happy medium that brings them closer to London than if they chose to settle full time in Berkshire or Anmer Hall," an insider claims. Let's hope there aren't that many renovations on the cards at their new house in Windsor.

Queen Elizabeth is notoriously "outdoorsy," and Kate is following in her footsteps, saying she's happiest when "I'm with my family outside in the countryside and we're all filthy dirty… Someone did ask me the other day, what would you want your children to remember about their childhood? And I thought that was a really good question, because actually if you really think about that, is it that I'm sitting down trying to do their maths and spelling homework over the weekend? Or is it the fact that we've gone out and lit a bonfire and sat around trying to cook sausages that hasn't worked because it's too wet?" Well said!