Awkward Kate Middleton And Prince William Moments That Made Us Cringe

Kate Middleton and Prince William have the typical "friends-to-lovers" story. They met while in school and became roommates in their final year of university and wed in 2011. "[They] were very good friends for a long time, and I think it blossomed into something more," Jules Knight, a former classmate of the royal pair, said in a BBC America special that followed their engagement in 2010 (via ABC). The pair were initially favored for the nonchalant start of their relationship, with Kate working as a waitress while wearing her unforgettable pre-princess outfits, and going on dates at their local pub. 

As heir to the British throne, Prince William is known for his sensible, goody-two-shoes demeanor, which makes complete sense considering this guy has a reputation to uphold. Unlike Meghan Markle, who was completely pushed out by the U.K.'s most loyal royalists, Kate is considered the nation's sweetheart and Brits practically swoon at her connection with her husband. But even with the approval of these traditionalists, the holy matrimony between Princess Kate and Prince William hasn't come without its cringeworthy moments. 

The British public were proud when they watched their heir set off on his Caribbean royal tour in 2022. But when William invited Kate to join him in gyrating her hips and shimmying to the sounds of traditional instruments in Belize, it made Brits want the ground to swallow them whole. As seen in one video from The Royal Family Channel, as the couple danced, locals gathered around to watch, cheer, and film their royal visitors. After finding his groove in a matter of minutes, William ventured off to create his very own dance circle. Kate continued dancing with the group of ladies, politely clapping and later shimmied over to her husband. 

It's not just the awkward dancing that made this moment cringey ... The entire tour was dubbed "cringeworthy" by The Washington Post after it was revealed that locals were protesting the royal visit. The Indigenous Q'eqchi Maya community hosted a demonstration to cancel the royal couple's plans to land their helicopter on their property without consultation. The chairman of Indian Creek village, Sebastian Shol, told the Daily Mail, "We don't want them to land on our land, that's the message that we want to send." The local community held placards reading "Prince William, leave our land" and "Colonial legacy of theft continues with Prince and FFI." But hey, the royal pair acted as if nothing had happened and continued to wiggle to the sounds of drums and rattles.

Amid rife breakup rumors in 2022, Kate and William attended the "Top Gun: Maverick" premiere. Maybe as an ode to their dying relationship – or to fit the scene – the couple showed up to the red carpet wearing matching black-and-white ensembles. Kate still looked stunning without much makeup, clad in a body-con dress, while William wore a tuxedo. The press kept a particularly close eye on the couple, who were being harassed about a wrongly published article that said the couple was separating.

Despite monarchists looking for cracks in their relationship, it's safe to say the pair appeared happy for the most part, with published photos showing Kate laughing while her husband held her lower back. But according to body language expert Blanca Cobb, a deeper look into their body language shows some tension between the two. Cobb told Cosmopolitan, "A happy couple usually doesn't let anything in between them. And yet, Kate is holding her clutch in her right hand, which is a physical barrier to William." The scandalous article, originally published by a French outlet, was ultimately deleted and claimed to be untrue.

In 2017, while attending a royal event that commemorated Queen Elizabeth II turning 91 in Poland, Kate shocked the nation. Princesses is known for smiling – and smile Kate did not. After analyzing pictures from the event, body language expert Judi James told the the Express that Kate was clearly "furious" with her husband. "There are several photos of the occasion that show her looking unhappy or even throwing William some pointed looks while he tried to remain neutral, with a faint, polite, closed lip smile of what looked like regret or awkwardness," James explained. The couple failed to address the circling rumours about their relationship, but with divorce still considered a taboo among royals, it's unlikely that Kate or William would ever let their lovers' tiffs affect them that much. We don't know what's more cringe-worthy, the royal sulking or the fact that Kate's smile, or lack of, can make headlines!

For couples who have been through a prior breakup, there's nothing quite as awkward as talking about your separation to other people. Prince William and Kate Middleton experienced this firsthand when they addressed their brief 2007 split during a 2010 interview with ITV's Tom Bradby. The discussion came about after the royal pair were asked about why Prince William took so long to propose. The couple had been on-and-off for nearly a decade.

"At the time, I wasn't very happy about it," Kate said awkwardly. However, she went on to explain that the break made her a stronger person and led her to learn new things about herself. 

To move on from the awkwardness swiftly, William confessed that he was forgetful and couldn't quite remember how many years he had been dating Kate. However, he went on to explain that now seemed like the perfect time for a wedding and that he and Kate were very happy. While it's nice to believe the engagement was an authentic decision made by William himself, the fact that Harry and Meghan managed to have a secret wedding makes it clear that what goes on within palace walls, almost always stays within palace walls. Since addressing their split, Kate and William have made it known that they like their private lives to be very hush-hush. Unfortunately for them, it doesn't look like the cringey interview video is going away anytime soon.