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The Prince and Princess of Wales have become the focus of a new viral video, as footage of a shared moment after a photocall at Kensington Palace in 2016 resurfaced on TikTok.
William and Kate have increasingly been figures of public fascination since their relationship was first revealed by the media in 2004, the couple having met while studying at the University of St Andrews four years earlier.
Buckingham Palace announced their engagement in 2010 and their royal wedding was held at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011. The couple have three children: Prince George (born 2013), Princess Charlotte (born 2015) and Prince Louis (born 2018).
Over the years, royal watchers and fans have eagerly looked for the rare occasions when the couple exchange public displays of affection. These moments, when they do occur, quickly go viral on social media.
Uploaded to TikTok by user princessofwales2022 on October 30, the latest video showing such an encounter was captured during a photocall given by the royals at Kensington Palace in 2016, ahead of their visit to India and Bhutan.
The couple hosted Indian and Bhutanese nationals living and working in Britain at the palace, where they discussed the upcoming visit and how the communities were strengthening ties with the U.K.
During the reception, the prince and princess posed for photographs in the courtyard of the palace, moments that were also captured by news cameras covering the event. As the royals headed back into the palace, an affectionate moment was seen between them, as William placed his hand on his wife's back.
The resurfaced clip has been viewed over 250,000 times on TikTok so far, gaining in excess of 7,000 likes and numerous comments, many of which have praised the couple and their intimate interactions.
"No posing just loving touches here and there so connected awesome couple," wrote one user of the clip.
"This is what real love looks like," posted another, with a further comment reading: "He just adores her. Always touches her🥰."
William and Kate's public displays of affection were once again spotlighted during their tour, which took place on April 10-16, 2016.
During their stay in India, the couple visited the Taj Mahal—a mausoleum complex in Agra built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahān for his wife Mumtaz Mahal in the 1600s—famed as one of the world's most romantic travel destinations.
Debate over whether the royal couple would pose for a photograph in front of the monument circulated at the time of the visit, after William's mother, Princess Diana, famously posed solo at the spot during a 1992 tour of India with Prince Charles (now King Charles III).
Diana visited the site alone, while Charles gave a speech at a separate location during their stay, with many commentators suggesting that the images of the solo princess in front of one of the world's most romantic sites signaled the end of the couple's marriage.
Their separation would be announced 10 months after the Indian tour.
In the end, William and Kate did pose together in front of the Taj Mahal, with the couple taking photos on the bench used by Diana 24 years earlier.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith 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
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more