On Tuesday, Queen Elizabeth and her granddaughter-in-law Kate Middleton had their first joint engagement together outside of Buckingham Palace when they visited King’s College London. Adorable photos from their visit are now showing the world just how close the two royal women are.

Photos of them in their car show the Queen and Kate sharing a blanket, which rest on their laps. They had huge smiles on their faces when they stepped out of the vehicle to open Bush House, the latest facility for education on the school’s Strand Campus. The blue blanket that the two were sharing in their car has been used by members of the royal family on many occasions, as they are known to like keeping warm when on the road.

King’s College is very special to the Queen, as she has long been a patron of the school. Together, the women toured the new facility and met those who worked on it before the Queen unveiled a plaque to formally open Bush House.

Though the Queen has made royal appearances with Kate in the past, this was the first time the two made an appearance alone together.

Kate has always been open about the respect and love that she has for the queen. In the documentary Our Queen at 90, Kate told a story about not knowing what to get the Queen for Christmas one year, only to settle on getting her homemade chutney made from her own grandmother’s recipe.

“She (the Queen) really cares,” Kate said. “I can remember being at Sandringham, for the first time, at Christmas. And I was worried what to give the Queen as her Christmas present. I was thinking, ‘Gosh, what should I give her?’ I thought back to what I would give my own grandparents. And I thought, ‘I’ll make her something.’ Which could have gone horribly wrong. But I decided to make my granny’s recipe of chutney.”

“I was slightly worried about it, but I noticed the next day that it was on the table,” the Duchess of Cambridge added. “I think such a simple gesture went such a long way for me and I’ve noticed since she’s done that on lots of occasions and I think it just shows her thoughtfulness, really, and her care in looking after everybody.”

The Queen and Kate are two of the most popular members of the British royal family, so it is nice to see that they get along so well! Find out more about their visit to King’s College in the video below.