Unlike Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, spotting a PDA moment between Kate Middleton and Prince William is pretty rare.
While they have held hands or rubbed each other’s backs affectionately in public on occasions in the past, visible expressions of love while the pair are on duty are few and far between.
So, when we saw the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge enjoy a second of intimacy during their visit to Shout's Crisis Volunteer celebration event at Troubadour White City Theatre on Tuesday afternoon, we wanted to fist pump the air.
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When the pair arrived at the event, William was seen rubbing Kate’s back as they introduced themselves. The royal’s PDA was brief, yes, but that made it all the more sweet.
For the occasion, Kate styled a Smythe jacket with a white top, burgundy trousers by Joseph, and black heels. She accessorised the autumnal look with a pair of dangly earrings and a matching necklace.
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There are no guidelines or royal protocol that forbids the royals interacting affectionately with each other. In fact, according to Beaumont Etiquette's founder and director Myka Meier, a British-American trained by a former member of the Queen's household, their showing affection is ‘actually encouraged [by the family]’.
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‘If you look at the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles they’re very affectionate. Extremely affectionate,’ Meier previously told ELLE US.
‘If you Google them at any recent event they’re always touching, holding hands, giggling.
On the differences between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Cambridges, she added: ‘I think people are just comparing the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William [who do not show much PDA publicly] to Harry and Meghan. And it’s just a matter of style and comfort.’
‘I always think the important thing to remember is that people forget that they’re working royals,’ Meier continued. ‘So when we saw them on their engagement photos and people were commenting at how roughed up they were, that’s absolutely fine because they’re not presenting a serious-natured event. They’re not walking into a ceremony commemorating death or something horrific by showing PDA. They would never be so disrespectful.’
William and Kate’s next formal event will be on Thursday 21 November at the Tusk Awards.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
