Prince William Shares Sweet Memory of Meeting Kate in Viral Video

Prince William's emotional references to the death of Princess Diana and first meeting Kate, the Princess of Wales, during a 2021 speech in Scotland have gone viral after resurfacing on social media site TikTok.

William has seen his public role increase in recent years, with Queen Elizabeth II giving her grandson a number of important duties during the final stage of her reign, which included among them his appointment as Lord High Commissioner of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for the year 2021.

The commissioner's duty is to represent the monarch during the assembly of the church's clergymen and delegates, to read a speech at the opening ceremony of the week-long event, and to attend a round of engagements connected with the church.

During her reign, Queen Elizabeth appointed a number of her family members to the position, which is held only for the course of the assembly, which included Prince Charles (now King Charles III), Princess Anne and Prince Andrew.

William's occupation of the role in 2021 saw him not only affirm his links to the Christian faith, but also more generally to Scotland, a country he has experienced many of his life's milestones in.

Uploaded to TikTok by user princesscatherine_, on August 10, video footage of the prince's opening ceremony speech in which he spoke about his connection with Scotland has been viewed over 250,000 times so far.

The edited compilation of clips from the speech show the prince discussing not only his connection with Scotland, but also how that connection has been forged with other members of his family, including his mother, Princess Diana, and wife, Kate.

"Scotland is incredibly important to me and will always have a special place in my heart," he said.

"I've been coming to Scotland since I was a small boy. As I grew up, I saw how my grandmother [Queen Elizabeth] relishes every minute she spends here. And my father [King Charles] is never happier than when walking among the hills."

After describing his childhood family holidays and university days at St Andrews as "some of my happiest memories," the prince then recognized the role Scotland has played in his "saddest."

"I was in Balmoral when I was told that my mother had died," he said, referencing the August 1997 day that Princess Diana died at the age of 36 from injuries sustained in a Paris car crash.

"Still in shock, I found sanctuary in the service at Crathie Kirk [church] that very morning. And in the dark days of grief that followed, I found comfort and solace in the Scottish outdoors. As a result, the connection I feel to Scotland will forever run deep."

"And yet alongside this painful memory, is one of great joy," he continued.

"Because it was here in Scotland—20 years ago this year—that I first met Catherine. Needless to say, the town where you meet your future wife holds a very special place in your heart."

William and Kate met while they were both studying at St Andrews University in 2001 and they began dating soon after. The pair announced their engagement nine years later and married at Westminster Abbey in 2011. They have three children: Prince George (born 2013), Princess Charlotte (born 2015) and Prince Louis (born 2018).

The viral video, captioned "The way he smirks and his face lights up when he talks about Catherine," has received in excess of 34,000 likes and over 100 comments, many of which have praised they royal and his speech.

"ITS MAKING ME EMOTIONAL," wrote one TikTok user.

"A future King. A true leader," posted another, with a further comment reading: "What a great speech!"

The royal family have regularly visited Scotland for their summer vacations at Balmoral Castle in the country's highlands since Queen Victoria and Prince Albert purchased the estate in 1852.

The residence is reported to have been the late Queen Elizabeth's favorite, with the monarch regularly hosting her children and grandchildren there during the August and September months.

In September 2022, the queen died at the age of 96 while staying at Balmoral. This year, King Charles III is expected to mark the first anniversary of his mother's death and his accession to the crown quietly with Queen Camilla on the Scottish estate.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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