🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
Kate Middleton's overwhelmed reaction to Prince William during his Royal Air Force graduation ceremony has gone viral on TikTok.
The Princess of Wales watched on as her then-boyfriend was given his "wings" at R.A.F. Cranwell, in Lincolnshire, on April 11, 2008.
And as he was presented with the honor by his father, now King Charles III, William glanced over at Kate.
Video cameras were there to capture the moment the future queen swooned back at him in a clip that has now gone viral on TikTok.
At the time, their relationship was still young and her attendance at the ceremony was taken as an indication of how much William cared about her.
An on-screen caption on the TikTok footage reads: "Note how Prince William turns to see Kate's reaction before leaving the platform and how Kate noticed his attention."
The clip was liked almost 32,000 times and viewed more than 184,000 times after it was posted with the message "this is my Roman Empire," in reference to the social media trend of men daydreaming about the Roman Empire.
@l0velycatherine THIS IS MY ROMAN EMPIRE. || #princewilliam #katemiddleton #princesscatherine #princesskate #fyp #l0velycatherine
♬ original sound - will ☁︎ -
The moment came at the end of a 12-week training program after which William became the fourth generation of the royal family to be a Royal Air Force pilot.
More to the point, though, it was interpreted in the media at the time as a key sign William and Kate's relationship was here to stay.
A write-up in The Daily Telegraph at the time read: "Among William's guests was his girlfriend Kate Middleton, in her first appearance with the Prince at a major official event since the young royal—a serving officer in the British Army—graduated from Sandhurst in December 2006.
"The move will fuel speculation that the couple, who have been involved in an on-off relationship for a number of years, are closer than ever."
Group Captain Nigel Wharmby, R.A.F. Cranwell's commanding officer, began the ceremony by paying tribute to the graduates: "The graduates here today are very special people and that is why we recognize their accomplishments in this ceremony.
"To those who fly today, these badges are the most coveted of all our insignia and rightly so.
"To all the graduates, I say remember this day with great pride and enjoy it, you have most definitely earned it."
Jack Royston is Newsweek's chief royal correspondent based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more