Prince William and Kate Middleton are in the US. But while William went off to Washington to talk to President Barack Obama about illegal wildlife trafficking, Kate went to New York to visit a child development center. The Duchess of Cambridge was joined by New York’s First Lady, Chirlane McCray. As the wife of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, McCray has become the talk of the town. The two have even been compared to political power couple Bill and Hilary Clinton. A former political activist, McCray is pretty much on her way to becoming a liberal icon.

Middleton and McCray posed for photographers during the time they spent together in Harlem. And while Middleton is a celebrity in her own right, McCray is not one to be upstaged. Andrew Nodell, a senior reporter for Closer Weekly, said, “For anyone it’s difficult to stand next to Kate Middleton. She always looks perfect. I think both ladies brought their best to the event.”

The woman upstaging Kate in New York #RoyalVisitUSA http://t.co/DozKOWwOed pic.twitter.com/ai7WZR0HfS

— Emma Reynolds (@emmareyn) December 9, 2014

McCray wrote on her blog, #FLONYC, about the encounter with Middleton. She expressed her pleasure at the fact that the Duchess has made mental health one of her signature issues. It is a matter that hits close to home for McCray after her daughter, Chiara, recently opened up about her depression and substance abuse.

“Sadly, our society continues to portray mental illness as rare and shameful, when in fact it is prevalent and nothing to be embarrassed about,” McCray wrote on her blog. “Researchers estimate that one in four American adults suffers from a mental illness in any given year; depression and anxiety are most common. And our children are not immune – approximately 13 percent of children between the ages of 8 and 15 had a diagnosable mental disorder within the previous year.”

Prior to meeting de Blasio, McCray worked as a speechwriter for David Dinkins during his term as Mayor of New York.