Prince William and Kate Middleton have been married for over a decade, with their relationship becoming a focus of attention in recent years
Christopher Sharp Trendswatch Reporter and Daniel Windham
15:31, 21 Jun 2025
Prince William and Princess Kate
A royal commentator remarked that Prince William stepped away from his “golden rule” in a defining ITV interview alongside Kate Middleton.
Chatting with Channel 5, royal journalist Richard Kay pointed out that William, who celebrated his 43rd birthday on Saturday, June 21, diverged from his standard no-romance-talk approach.
Kay added: “William broke his own golden rule, effectively, in that famous engagement interview with ITV News and Tom Bradby back in 2010 because he started talking about the romance. Here was William putting real flesh on the bones.”
The historic sit-down with ITV was William and Kate’s inaugural joint interview following their engagement announcement.
Discussion over William and Kate’s union has continued since their Westminster Abbey wedding in April 2011.
Speculation around their partnership intensified further following last year’s reports of Kate being treated for an unspecified type of cancer.
Prince William and Princess Kate
Although they both featured at Trooping the Colour earlier this month, the Duke attended Royal Ascot alone recently.
Body language expert Judi James told the Daily Express that the heir to the throne appeared “sad and subdued” without Kate during the prominent event.
James explained: “While his father, the King, chatted happily to their guest in the carriage, using some animated, good-humoured body language displays, William seemed to sit back quietly with a slightly slumped posture, looking subdued and rather reflective without Kate at his side.”
Judi suggested that William may have played a role in Kate’s decision to skip Royal Ascot, possibly as a precautionary measure to aid her recovery.
She stated: “It can often be the loving partner who urges someone to avoid ‘overdoing it’ after an illness, meaning Kate’s absence from Ascot could even have been down to some gentle pressure from William.”
Prince William and Princess Kate
Judi added that Ascot is a lengthy event that takes place in the heat, and it may have been wise for Kate to sit it out. However, William appeared to miss her presence, sporting a less-than-enthusiastic expression.
On the other hand, during the Trooping the Colour ceremony, body language expert Dr Arthur Cassidy observed interactions between William and Kate. According to Dr Cassidy in Hello!, William’s conduct towards Kate on the Buckingham Palace balcony demonstrated his profound affection for her.
He said: “Prince William, our ebullient and animated Prince, devoted father and protector, with his uniform as Colonel-in-Chief of the Welsh Guards, shows, for a few milliseconds, a tight upper lip as he faces Princess Kate. This signifies his positive emotional state as he’s deeply in love with wife Kate.”