William And Kate Interactions That Made People Uncomfortable

There are some royal family members who live like normal people, and others that are among the most recognizable faces in the world. As the future king and queen of England, Prince William and Princess Catherine fall into the latter category. The pair have been at the forefront of the firm since they tied the knot back in 2011 but following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, more eyes are on them than ever. Catherine's disappearance from royal duties in early 2024 following abdominal surgery had many speculating that there may have been problems within the marriage.

While the speculation turned out to be wrong (Catherine was undergoing treatment for cancer), it's not difficult to see why some fans jumped to that conclusion. There have been several instances over the years between the couple that have raised eyebrows, leading many to wonder if everything is as dandy behind closed doors as the House of Windsor would have us believe.

From curt remarks to shrugging off signs of affection, these are the headline-making moments that William and Catherine haven't been able to avoid — no matter how much they've invested in media training.

There are plenty of rumored reasons why Prince William and Princess Catherine stay together. After all, Catherine is the mother of the future heir to the throne, and divorce, while not off the table anymore, is still largely discouraged within the House of Windsor. No one knows what the future holds for the couple, but one thing is for sure — they still have their disagreements, just like anyone else who has been together for as long as they have. They likely try to keep up appearances, but every now and then, their true emotions show.

In 2017, William and Catherine traveled to Warsaw, where they represented the family for a birthday party thrown in honor of Queen Elizabeth II. Catherine looked radiant in a white dress with black detailing, her dark hair scooped into a low up-do, but her expression told a different story, according to body language expert Judi James. 

James told the Mirror that photos of Catherine staring at William angrily and looking unhappy at the event were quite telling. "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, going on to state that these photographs made many believe Catherine was furious with William for something.

The Christmas holiday season is one of the busiest times of year for the British royal family, who are often spotted at church events and beyond. In 2019, Princess Catherine and Prince William appeared alongside British culinary legend Mary Berry on her TV special, "A Berry Royal Christmas." The sweet program saw the couple dressed in matching seasonal deep red in front of an open fire, but despite the occasion, was something else flickering under the surface? As the pair chatted to others on the show, William can be seen extending a hand to Catherine's shoulder in a show of affection. Though they aren't usually ones for PDA, Catherine's response shocked many viewers.

As William's hand came into contact with her shoulder, she seemingly recoiled and shrugged it off, masking it by shifting in her seat. Whether it was an accident or something purposeful has never been revealed, but it certainly made for uncomfortable viewing. 

After all, the public want to see a connected and loving future king and queen, especially after King Charles III's peppered past and disastrous first marriage to Princess Diana. No one wants to see history repeat itself, especially when there are children involved.

They say the way a couple dances can tell a lot about their relationship, but if that's the case, then the future may not look rosy for Princess Catherine and Prince William. In 2022, the couple traveled to Belize on a royal tour. One of their most reported activities was a visit to the locals, where they danced up a storm. Catherine looked radiant in a blue patterned dress and matching earrings, and she smiled from ear to ear when talking to the people at the event. The awkwardness, perhaps surprisingly, came when she had to interact with her husband of over a decade.

The locals formed a circle around Catherine as she shimmied over to William. Not only was her body language awkward and off kilter, but how William received it was just plain cringe. He appeared to have a look of strained embarrassment on his face, and rather than hug his wife, he looked down at the ground with a forced smile.

While the dance itself was an uncomfortable display of the royals out of their comfort zones, the trip to Belize was met with many protests regarding Queen Elizabeth II's rule and colonialism over the Caribbean nations, further adding to the awkward nature of the dance.

In 2022, Prince William and Princess Catherine were invited to the "Top Gun: Maverick" debut, rubbing shoulders alongside the main man himself, Tom Cruise. The couple looked very chic and stylish for the night, with William wearing a black tuxedo and Catherine donning a sleek black and white off-the-shoulder dress that extenuated her tiny waist.

While they did their best to keep smiling, it was a tumultuous time for the couple, who had just been plagued by rumors of a break up from a wrongly published MSN-syndicated article. The offending story was taken down and the original outlet acknowledged its falsehood, but the damage of the rumor was already done. According to body language expert Blanca Cobb's discussion with Cosmopolitan, William and Catherine appeared to still be dealing with the impact of it when they appeared at the premiere.

When analyzing a photo of the couple at the event, Cobb stated, "Kate might be walking beside Prince William, but the look on her face says that she's a million miles away ... 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. This doesn't allow him to hold her hand if he wanted to."

Royal life can't be easy, especially when one is expected to appear in public amid family strife. In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Platinum Jubilee in a series of events with the rest of the royal family by her side. One event saw the entire firm congregate for the National Service of Thanksgiving. Even Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attended, marking their first outing with the royals since they stepped down from their duties and moved to America in 2020. Understandably, things have been a little frosty between Harry, Prince William, and their wives ever since, thanks in part to the startling revelations from Prince Harry's memoir.

During the service, William and Princess Catherine sat on one side of the church throughout the service, while Meghan and Harry were far away on the other side. When the event was over, Catherine, wearing a stunning yellow dress and matching hat, could be seen walking down the church steps with William by her side.

Consulting with the Mirror, lip-reading expert John Cassidy said that while the princess acknowledged to her husband that the service went well, William was more concerned with making sure Catherine stayed in line. After waving awkwardly to the crowd, he told Catherine, "Wait for that to move, then we can go." It isn't the first time that fans were a little disheartened by William's apparent desire to control his wife's movements.

Weddings are usually big events regardless of your social status, but when you're a royal, it's even more grandiose. You're often invited to some of the most ostentatious weddings in history, and of course, it's important to pay your respects to the newlyweds — at least, for Princess Catherine, it is. In 2023, Catherine and Prince William attended the nuptials of Hussein, Crown Prince of Jordan, and Princess Rajwa, at Zahran Palace in Amman. Catherine looked stunning in a pale pink gown by Elie Saab, wearing her long tresses loose for the event, while William looked dapper in a navy blue suit. 

While they certainly looked the part, tensions seemed to be running a little high between the couple. In a video obtained by the Daily Mail, Catherine could be seen chatting to the bride happily as a long line of people waited behind her. William, having already said his bit, then told his wife to "Chop, chop" as he made a gesture with his hand to wrap it up. "Let's keep going," he said as he hurried his wife. Catherine appeared to ignore his statement, but it didn't go unnoticed by Princess Rajwa, who nodded at him.

There's something to be said for keeping to a schedule, but this exchange ruffled feathers among royalists who don't like to see Catherine, a much-loved figure, being condescended in this way.