Awkward Kate Middleton And Prince William Moments Caught On Camera

William, Prince of Wales and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales aren't just well-liked by the public; they've held on to the top two spots in YouGov's surveys on the most favored members of the British royal family in recent years. One reason could be that, although they're often as poised, elegant, and unflappable as older royals, they're also grounded and approachable. Body language expert Darren Stanton told Marie Claire they're "not afraid to get stuck in, to get their hands dirty, or to be down on their hands and knees curling if that's what the moment calls for." And the fact that they've also encountered some embarrassing moments that had people laughing, cringing, or raising their eyebrows has only made them more relatable.

In the 2016 documentary, "Our Queen at Ninety," William admitted that he once broke one of the most important rules of relationships and diplomacy: don't get names wrong. "My first diplomatic reception was a little bit awkward. I may have mentioned to two particular countries who don't get along, I got the wrong one ... muddled up. That was quite embarrassing," he recalled (per Woman & Home). Fortunately, no one was filming at the time, so there's no video of William's gaffe circulating around. However, there is one of the Prince and Princess of Wales' painfully awkward moves when they joined locals in Belize for an impromptu dance party during their Caribbean tour in 2022. In a clip posted on YouTube, William and Kate certainly seemed down for some traditional dancing, but it was clear they needed some lessons on rhythm.

As two of the most photographed people in the world, several other awkward moments featuring William and Kate will live forever on the internet thanks to the photographers, journalists, and royal enthusiasts who captured them on camera.

The women of the British royal family often use sartorial diplomacy to honor a foreign guest they're hosting or a country they're visiting. For example, among Catherine, Princess of Wales' many outfits that carried hidden meanings was a gorgeous blush jacket and tulle skirt she donned in July 2025. It was the first time Kate Middleton had stepped out in a look from the French luxury brand Christian Dior, and that she did so to welcome French President Emmanuel Macron to the U.K. for a state visit was no coincidence. However, not every attempt at fashion diplomacy has been as successful.

When they embarked on a multi-country tour for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee in 2012, Kate and William, Prince of Wales visited Solomon Islands, and while there, the then-newlyweds were supposed to wear traditional clothing gifted by their host. As seen in the photo, Kate looked gorgeous in a fuchsia pink dress, while her hubby's printed shirt complemented his bright baby blues when they attended a party at the Governor General's house. 

The only problem was that while their outfits were indeed traditional, they were local to Cook Islands, so the photo ended up capturing some of William and Kate's most inappropriate outfits ever as they partied in Solomon Islands while paying tribute to a different nation thousands of miles away. Following backlash, a Solomon Islands official explained that the faux pas wasn't the fault of their guests but rather a welcoming committee member who gave them the wrong outfits. Kate and William ultimately left Solomon Islands with two sets of traditional clothing and continued the tour, showing that there were no hard feelings over the mix-up.

"A Berry Royal Christmas," featured William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales teaming up with "The Great British Bake Off " star Mary Berry to cook a delicious meal for charity workers and volunteers. It initially seemed to be nothing more than another sweet and heartwarming holiday special — until one scene struck a discordant note in the otherwise wholesome video. In the blink-and-you-miss-it awkward moment, Prince William and Kate Middleton could be seen chatting with a group of people while sitting near the fireplace. He touched his wife's arm to get her attention, but as Kate responded, she also twisted her body in a way that made his hand fall away from her arm.

Neither of them showed any discomfort on their faces or let on that there was any drama, but it was out of character for Kate, who usually welcomes her husband's rare public displays of affection. When the clip resurfaced on Reddit in 2026, many commenters insisted there was definitely tension between the couple when they were filming the special. "This is uncomfortable to watch," one Redditor wrote. "She literally recoiled from his touch. Almost like a reflex," another observed. A third user suggested that Kate might not have been happy with William at the time, as rumors were already rampant that he allegedly had an affair with their friend, Rose Hanbury. Whether it was a simple accident or a sign of marital dispute, the princess' almost instinctive reaction to avoid her husband's touch was one of the major red flags in William and Kate's marriage, according to our love coach.

By now, royal fans are more than familiar with how Catherine, Princess of Wales and William, Prince of Wales' relationship began. As the story goes, they first met and became friends while studying at the University of St. Andrews in 2001. Nothing romantic happened during the first few months of their freshmen year, and they even dated other people for a while. However, sparks began to fly when Prince William watched Kate Middleton strut down the runway at a charity fashion show in a sheer dress. They later kissed at a party, and the rest was history. But while the well-known tale suggested it was William who fell first and initiated the romance, a rumor claimed that Kate had been crushing so hard that she had a poster of him on the wall of her dorm room.

Years later, Kate was confronted with this rumor during her and William's engagement interview in 2010. In an awkward moment, journalist Tom Bradby asked if she indeed gave William the boyband member treatment while the supposed subject of her fantasies was sitting right next to her. "There's a story that goes around that you had a picture of him on your wall," Bradby said. William, who grinned at the question, cut in and joked, "There wasn't just one, there was like 10, 20." Unfortunately for William, there apparently wasn't even one picture, let alone 20. "He wishes," Kate responded before clarifying who had the honor of gracing her bedroom wall. "No, no, I had the Levi's guy on my wall, not a picture of William. Sorry." She gave William a pat on the hand in apology, but the cheeky prince jokingly insisted, "Well, it was me in Levi's, obviously."

Being late to an event by a minute and a half usually wouldn't be that big of a deal, but when the event is a historic coronation, and every second of its schedule has been planned to a T, then it becomes a problem. William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales were just 90 seconds late to King Charles III's coronation ceremony, the first in Britain in almost 70 years, at Westminster Abbey in May 2023, but it was more than enough to cause a mad scramble among royal staff and a revamp of a procession plan that had likely been finalized months prior. 

According to the original plan, Prince William and Kate Middleton were supposed to walk in first together with their two younger kids, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and then King Charles and Queen Camilla, as the stars of the show, would be the final people to enter Westminster Abbey.

Instead, William and Kate awkwardly walked behind the king and his large entourage during the procession, as seen in footage published by Sky News. "It is unusual for the two most important arrivals at such a significant event, and over such a well-trodden route, to be so unpunctual. The result is some frantic rewriting of the running order," royal biographer Robert Hardman wrote in his book "The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy," per People. At one point, William and Kate could no longer be seen in the footage because they'd been completely obscured by the guards' tall helmets, which made it even more obvious that this wasn't supposed to be their place in the procession. 

If you have one of those embarrassing moments that still randomly pops up in your head at 3 a.m. and makes you cringe years later, then you might be able to relate to William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales, who were left looking foolish in front of a large crowd in New Zealand. During an overseas tour in 2014, Prince William and Kate Middleton visited the Air Force Museum of New Zealand in Christchurch, where they paid respects to the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) personnel who lost their lives while serving their country. They were also asked to lead the ceremonial unveiling of a memorial plaque honoring the airmen who took part in peacekeeping missions. The plaque in question was hidden behind a small curtain, and all Kate and William had to do was pull the two cords on either side of it.

However, what was supposed to be a solemn moment turned embarrassingly goofy fast when the curtain refused to budge. In a now-deleted viral TikTok clip (which remains up here), Kate and William could be seen tugging at both cords repeatedly and even took turns attempting to get the curtain to move as they seemingly tried to figure out what went wrong. However, since none of their attempts worked, the two just ended up spending several long seconds playing a game of pull the curtain as a group of officials and personnel looked on. One official ultimately saved the day by joining them on the platform and assisting them. However, unlike Kate and William, he simply pushed the curtain aside to reveal the plaque, unintentionally making the situation even more embarrassing for the couple.