She may be a Duchess, but last night Kate met the Queen.
Queen Bey strutted across the court at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn last night in a way that said, 'Hey, Duke and Duchess, welcome to my kingdom.'
Kate's face said it all. "Be cool, be cool dammit, you're meeting Beyonce and Jay Z, stay cool."
This handshake might still make it into the record books for the most awkward, 'faux-casual' handshake ever, however.
Rumours flew about which royal couple instigated the meeting, with William apparently letting it be known that he wanted to meet Jay Z and Beyonce at the match between local team the Brooklyn Nets, supported by the celebrity couple, and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
But it was Queen B who took the initiative, sashaying across the court as the royal couple leapt out of their seats to greet them, Jay Z pulling a huge grin for the camera.
An American basketball game was not the place for a discreet meeting. The royals' meeting was accompanied by the cheers of 18,000 people, a frenzy of cameras, and a blast of 'Rule Britannia' over the PA system, with flashing Union Jacks shown on the big screens. Perhaps all the attention meant Kate was too self conscious to ask for a selfie.
The meeting lasted less than a minute, with the fourth quarter set to start, Jay Z and Beyonce were back over their side of the court to watch their team succumb to defeat.
Though it was not the last "royal" meeting of the night. As many observed on social media, the British couple were sat at the court of 'King James', Cleveland's Lebron James.
And James went for it, leaning in to give a startled Kate a huge squeeze before posing for photos.
William told the 6ft 8in basketball star: "It was good, really good. Our first time," adding "I went to the White House for the first time. It was quite daunting."
James asked the Duke what size shoes he wore and William replied: "Half the size of yours," pointing at his huge feet.
The superstar also presented the couple with Cavaliers jerseys, a maroon one for Prince George that said "George 1" on the back and a yellow top emblazoned with the words "Cambridge 7."
Outside the match a 'die-in' demonstration took place calling for justice for the family of Eric Garner, who died in July after a New York Police Department officer placed him in a chokehold during an arrest.
The protest was one of a number held in recent days and the activists staged a "die in" lying on the pavement outside the basketball arena while being watched by a large police presence.
Inside the Barclays Centre, James came out in sympathy with the protesters during the warm-up, wearing the T-shirt bearing the slogan "I can't breathe" said to be the last words of Garner.