UK woman’s small business visit becomes viral social media sensation

Footage purporting to show Catherine Middleton, Princess of Wales, visiting a local farm shop has energised the internet — and exposed the publicity benefits of a royal visit to small businesses.

A video published by TMZ on Tuesday appears to show the Princess of Wales alongside Prince William, her husband and heir to the British throne, on a recent outing in Windsor.

Reputable British tabloid The Sun reports the pair visited Windsor Farm Shop, a small family business that operates a butchery and cafe in the shadow of Windsor Castle.

#KateMiddleton seemed to be in good spirits while out and about with #PrinceWilliam Saturday. https://t.co/kLUsfvt3b2 (🎥: TMZ/The Sun) pic.twitter.com/EqbtVojBcw

— TMZ (@TMZ) March 18, 2024

Footage shared across social media has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times in recent days, presumably by onlookers impressed by Princess Catherine’s commitment to buying local.

Other factors may have driven interest in the footage, too.

Princess Catherine has largely stayed out of the public eye since January, after what Kensington Palace described as a successful and planned abdominal surgery.

During this time, she has kept herself occupied with quieter pursuits, like photography and digital image editing.

This low profile makes her drop-in to a farm shop particularly notable.

In fact, some sceptical viewers have claimed the woman in the footage is not Princess Catherine at all, seemingly doubtful that someone of her station would ever deign to visit a humble local business — especially when onlookers are awaiting her next formal appearance in public.

But history shows Princess Catherine, and the royal family more broadly, have a long history of elevating small businesses with their patronage.

Tabloids report she donned clothing and jewellery from independent designers through much of the COVID-19 pandemic, putting a spotlight on businesses struggling through tough economic conditions.

Princess Catherine herself was raised in a small business family, as parents Michael and Carole Middleton led party supply business Party Pieces for more than 30 years. 

The royals have even bolstered the profile of Australian businesses.

The first publicly released photo of the couple’s eldest son, Prince George, featured a cotton muslin baby blanket from local label Aden + Anais.

“You couldn’t even put a value on that for what that meant for the company in terms of brand awareness on a global scale,” Aden + Anais founder Raegan Moya-Jones told SmartCompany after the fact.

Separately, the family bestows a royal warrant to businesses known to provide consistently excellent service to the royal household.

Only one Australian business — Brisbane’s own Hardy Brothers Jewellers — holds a royal warrant, in recognition of the silversmithing services provided to the royal family.

SmartCompany pledges to monitor Princess Catherine’s future public appearances, in order to celebrate the next small business to earn a royal drop-in.