Rare And Cute Moments Of PDA Shared Between Prince William & Kate Middleton
Anyone who considers themselves a royal watcher knows that moments of physical affection between the members of the family are rare. Whether it's fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, or spouses, any display of intimacy is a sight to behold. Of course, some have broken the rules when it comes to royal PDA, notably Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The stateside couple shocked royal fans when they held hands in public, touched each other on the shoulder or waist, and kissed in front of craning eyeballs. It was certainly a change from the royal way of life, and the couple has continued to forge their path ahead ever since.
In stark contrast to the touchy, feely couple is Prince William and Princess Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales, who are all business. As the direct heir to the throne, William's role within the firm is more highlighted than ever, and Catherine is a fan favorite who the public can't seem to get enough of. Between their official state visits, walkabouts, and public appearances, William and Catherine are the picture of sophistication and royal protocol, often avoiding any PDA — whether it be holding hands, the exchanging of hugs, or even a cheeky glance in the other's direction. Still, they are a married couple, and haven't always adhered to the strictest of rules. Though rare, William and Catherine have shared some moments of PDA, and the interactions captured on camera are incredibly cute.
The newly engaged couple were beaming during this PDA appearance
When Prince William finally popped the question to then-girlfriend Kate Middleton, the public collectively let out a sigh of relief. Princess Catherine had been waiting for so long for a proposal that she had even garnered the nickname "Waity Kaity," and everyone was thrilled that William got around to asking her to marry him. When the couple did announce their engagement, they were absolutely beaming, and their interlocked arms and nervous — but excited — glances shared with each other were beyond cute.
Sitting down for their official engagement interview on November 16, 2010, the newly-engaged couple dished about the moment when William got down on one knee. The interview is still one of their sweetest interactions to date.
Asking her to marry him while on a trip to Kenya, William and Catherine relived the moment while sitting together, with Catherine in stunning blue, wearing Diana Spencer's iconic sapphire and diamond engagement ring on her finger. "It was a total shock when it came. There's a true romantic in there," Catherine said of William's proposal, to which he added, "As every guy out there will know, it takes a certain amount of motivation to get yourself going. So I was planning it and then it just felt really right out in Africa. It was beautiful."
Catherine gave her husband a butt tap while attending the BAFTA Awards in 2023
Prince William and Princess Catherine have not only become the standout stars of the royal family, but they follow royal protocol pretty much to the letter. They are poised, balanced, and always ready to put their game faces on — but that hasn't stopped them from sharing a little moment of PDA every now and then.
While attending the BAFTA Awards in 2023, the public was stunned to see Catherine not only touch her husband — of which the moments when she does in public are rare — but to witness her give him a flirty tap on the butt. We wouldn't have believed it if it hadn't been captured on camera, and expert Sophia Martell broke the moment down for the Daily Mail.
According to Martell, Catherine saw two members of the crowd gathered to see them engage in a little butt tap, and she turned to William to ask if he witnessed the exchange, too. "That man ... he tapped her on the bottom," Catherine said, to which William was said to have replied, "Did he?" In her shocking decision, Catherine then replicated the same behavior and gave her husband a flirty butt tap — on the red carpet no less — and then retorted, "That was so funny." Though their appearance at the awards was heavily watched and the crowds were craning to see them, Catherine didn't hesitate to flirt with her husband.
The two embraced one another during an Olympic event in 2012
Every four years, the athletes of the world come together to compete in the ultimate showdown, the Olympic Games. Not only is it an honor to represent one's country at the Games, but it is a huge deal if your home country is asked to host.
For the 2012 Games, athletes from around the world descended on London. Naturally, the royal family was out in full swing to support Team Great Britain and show that they, too, are lovers of all things sports. Of course, any fan of Prince William and Princess Catherine knows that the couple are in fact quite sports-oriented, having played a variety of events in their younger years and engaging in events like polo to this day. Unsurprisingly, they were staple figures in the stands during the 2012 Olympic Games, and they shared an adorable moment together while attending the track cycling event.
Captured on camera, William and Catherine were cheering on Team Great Britain during the men's track cycling event when they — seemingly in reaction to the success on the track — embraced each other in an adorable hug. Catherine was all smiles in her official Adidas Olympic team polo shirt, and William was beaming alongside his wife. To make their appearance at the event even sweeter, William and Catherine participated in the "wave" that made its way through the stands.
Catherine gave her husband a supportive hand during this international trip
Though Prince William and Princess Catherine enjoy favorable numbers and international recognition, not all of their appearances as a couple have been easy. Their state visit to Jamaica and the Bahamas in March 2022 was a collective disaster, and it was clear that the two had to band together to make it through.
Commenting on the trip (and the environment in which William and Catherine visited the Caribbean), writer and Caribbean studies expert Velma McClymont told The Guardian that the royals had greatly underestimated the backlash the couple would receive. Simultaneously, they assumed that they would experience a warm welcome, which certainly did not happen. "This was ... rather presumptuous to assume that Jamaican people were suddenly going to welcome William and his wife with open arms," McClymont asserted, speaking specifically about a photo taken of Catherine greeting Jamaican children through a chainlink fence — certainly not a good optic.
Despite the trip being a bit of a disaster, we did get a sweet bit of PDA from the couple. When they dropped by a fish fry in the Bahamas and tried a local delicacy called a conch pistol, the Princess of Wales uncharacteristically touched William's arm while smiling — a rare moment that was fortunately caught on camera.
William and Catherine shared a sweet moment at the Earthshot Prize Awards
When it comes to Prince William and Princess Catherine's PDA, their shared interactions are so limited that even a glance between them can stop a royal watcher in their tracks. When the couple traveled stateside to attend the 2022 Earthshot Prize Awards, their American fans came out in droves to catch a glimpse of them, and the couple certainly did not disappoint.
Catherine looked stunning in a rented green column gown, accessorizing it with Diana Spencer's iconic emerald and diamond choker that she once wore as a headband. William, on the other hand, looked dapper as ever and the two walked the carpet like seasoned pros. Though they hit their standard, no-touching poses for the cameras, William and Catherine also shared a number of sweet interactions while entering the event, smiling at one another and touching each other on the arm in both a supportive — and somewhat flirtatious — manner. To say that they looked like absolute royal rockstars while doing so is definitely an understatement.
As the Earthshot Prize Awards came to an end, William and Catherine made their way to Boston's Fenway Park 521 Lounge for a glamorous reception, rubbing shoulders with celebrities and certainly making sure that their royal star was shining bright. But it was the moments shared on the carpet between the couple that really did the talking, and royal watchers were guaranteed to be pleased with what they saw.
William supported his wife shortly after they welcomed their third child
Getting through a pregnancy is not an easy feat, especially if you're a working royal. On your feet, traveling throughout the Commonwealth, shaking hands, wearing heels — it's a bit much. For Princess Catherine, her three pregnancies were demanding of her in both a professional and physical sense, as her body went through the ringer. Battling hyperemesis gravidarum during each pregnancy, Catherine opened up about the experience on Giovanna Fletcher's "Happy Mum, Happy Baby," revealing that Prince William was beside himself as she went through horrific illness.
"[It was] utterly rotten. I was really sick. I wasn't eating the things I should be eating and yet the body was still able to take all the goodness from my body and to grow new life, which I think is fascinating," Catherine said of her pregnancies. "William didn't feel he could do much to help and it's hard to see you're suffering without actually being able to do anything about it."
Given what she went through, it's no wonder that William was right there beside his wife when the two stepped out of London's St. Mary's Hospital with their third child, Prince Louis, on April 23, 2018. Offering Catherine a sweet and supportive hand around her waist as she held tiny Louis, the couple couldn't have looked more in sync with one another.
The couple shared a rare PDA moment while on the polo field
Anyone who has considered themselves a royal fan knows that it was on the polo field that then-Prince Charles and Diana Spencer shared their most intimate PDA moments. It certainly seems as though Prince William and Princess Catherine have followed in their footsteps, as one of their most affectionate days in the public eye came when William was competing at a charity polo match in Windsor in 2022.
William, a well-known polo player, joined his team on the field and took home the winning trophy, raising over $1 million for charity in the process. Congratulating her husband on his victory, Catherine gave William a kiss on the check and embraced him in a half-hug in the process, which is quite a lot of PDA for a couple that follow the royal rules to a tee.
If that wasn't enough for the royal fans who wish for any physical interaction between the pair, William and Catherine joined each other after the game and wrapped their arms around each other's waists as they walked off the field. Of the multiple displays of affection, royal etiquette expert Myka Meier told People that it was solely up to William and Catherine to make the call about their PDA. "Senior members of the royal family would likely not be told how to interact," Meier explained. "The royals often adjust PDA to mirror the formality of the event they are attending."
William and Catherine shared a kiss while stateside
Something about a polo match definitely seems to get the members of the royal family ready to exchange some PDA, because Prince William and Princess Catherine exchanged a kiss all the way back in July 2011 at a polo event while stateside. Having traveled to California, William and Catherine appeared at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club, and William took part in a charity match at the time. Supporting a charity founded by both him and Prince Harry, the proceeds of the day went to the support of military families and veterans, among other causes. While the match was certainly for a good purpose, it also gave royal watchers one of the first polo-based PDA moments between William and Catherine, who were still newlyweds at the time.
Further speaking to People about why the polo field is such a hotspot for royal couples and more intimate interactions, royal etiquette expert Myka Meier told People that William and Catherine would curtail their physical displays of affection if they were at any kind of event that was more formal or sad in nature. "Senior members ... would be trusted to use their better judgment as to when it's appropriate," Meier explained. "At a somber or more formal event, we are less likely to see PDA than at a casual event where it would be deemed more fitting."
The then-newlyweds looked blissful while holding hands
First comes love, then the wedding, then the honeymoon. For Prince William and Princess Catherine, all eyes were on their nuptials and where they jet-setted to following their lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey, and the newlyweds gave fans a sweet PDA moment to revel in.
Though their wedding took place largely in the public eye, Buckingham Palace announced at the time that the couple "have asked that their privacy be respected during the coming weekend and during their honeymoon," noting that the location of their post-wedding vacation would be kept tight-lipped (via HuffPost). Making their way out of the palace and to a helicopter waiting to whisk them away, William and Catherine were beaming as they walked hand in hand, ready to embark on a vacation of a lifetime. Though the moment of PDA was fleeting, the couple gave royal watchers a little treat as they strolled into married life together.
Though the location of their honeymoon was kept under wraps for some time, it was reported that William and Catherine made their way to the Seychelles and stayed at an ultra-exclusive island resort. The private island only featured 11 villas and was far away from any craning paparazzi or members of the public — certainly what the couple would have wanted after almost 25 million people watched them get married.
The two shared a candid moment while in New Zealand in 2014
As part of their roles as senior members of the royal family, Prince William and Princess Catherine have traveled across the world to represent the monarchy and advocate for causes and charities close to their hearts.
Embarking on a trip to New Zealand in 2014 with a very young Prince George, William and Catherine garnered even more favor from the public as they presented themselves as loving parents with their eyes firmly set on respecting the culture and people of New Zealand. Greeted by then-Prime Minister John Key as they disembarked the plane, William, Catherine, and George (who was just eight months old at the time) were ready to embrace their 10-day trip, looking the picture of royal sophistication while doing so.
"I don't think their enthusiasm for coming to New Zealand has been dampened at all by the fact it was a little bit wet on the tarmac," Key told reporters of William and Catherine's arrival (via The Guardian). The tour was a success, as to be expected with these two. The couple embraced traditional displays of haka, respected the traditions of the indigenous peoples, and even gave George time to shine. If royal watchers weren't pleased enough, a candid moment of PDA between the couple was caught on camera while they attended the Rippa Rugby event at Forstyth Barr Stadium on day seven of their tour.
The pair were photographed sharing a candid moment while at the Earthshot Awards in 2021
Of all the causes close to Prince William's heart, the Earthshot Prize is certainly at the top of the list. Actively participating in efforts regarding conservationism, William puts his money where his mouth is and awards five winners every year who come up with innovative and dynamic solutions to the climate crisis.
Those honored and awarded with prize money are celebrated at the Earthshot Prize Awards, and the event held in 2021 gave royal fans a moment of PDA between William and Princess Catherine that was absolutely lovely. Embracing each other in a behind-the-scenes shot, Catherine and William laughed and wrapped their arms around each other's waists. The fact that the picture was circulated in black and white almost made the moment seem like a moment caught in time from decades prior — it was that timeless.
Catherine, of course, made the headlines amid the 2021 awards for rewearing a dress that she had been seen in a decade prior. Rocking a stunning lilac purple Alexander McQueen gown that she had previously worn to the BAFTA Awards, Catherine definitely proved that recycling your wardrobe is not beneath a royal. William, meanwhile, looked dapper in a velvet tuxedo jacket, and the pair's sweet moment of PDA reminded everyone that they were — and are — a loving couple on a mission to better the world.
William and Catherine shared an iconic kiss on the Buckingham Palace balcony
It wouldn't be a roundup of Prince William and Princess Catherine's cutest moments of PDA without including their iconic kiss shared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following their wedding. In the years that have followed their nuptials, experts have deciphered exactly what William and Catherine said to one another while waving to the crowds, making the moment shared between them that much more earnest.
"Wow," Catherine said when she stepped out onto the balcony, taking in the moment and witnessing the thousands of people gathered to celebrate her and William. After exchanging a quick kiss to satisfy the cheering fans, William reportedly said to Catherine, "Let's give them another one. I love you. One more kiss, one more kiss. Okay?" Of course, the couple's second kiss made the crowd roar with approval, and if there was one moment that proved just how influential William and Catherine would become as the royal family's dynamite couple, it was that.
William and Catherine's wedding, of course, still stands as one of the most watched royal nuptials, delighting royal watchers and nodding to the wedding held between then-Prince Charles and Diana Spencer decades prior. Catherine looked stunning in her lace gown, designed by Sarah Burton, the creative director of Alexander McQueen. To say that the entire display was something out of a Disney movie is definitely the understatement of the decade.