Kate Middleton Awkwardly Rejects Prince William’s Affectionate Gesture In Public

Kate Middleton and Prince William recently made headlines after the Duchess of Cambridge seemingly rejected Prince William’s affectionate gesture towards her.

On “A Berry Royal Christmas,” the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are sitting beside each other and in front of the fireplace. They are chatting with a group of people when the second in line to the throne suddenly placed his hand on his wife’s shoulder.

Middleton was smiling from ear to ear, and she was also looking at her husband. But eagle-eyed watchers noticed how the future Queen flinched immediately after Prince William touched her.

Daily Mail reposted the video, and the publication suggested that Middleton’s awkward reaction may have to do with the fact that the royal couple isn’t allowed to engage in PDA in public. However, their claims generated a slew of different reactions online.

“And just like clockwork, the Daily Mail decides that Kate shrugged off William’s hand because PDA was inappropriate in that setting. Wouldn’t have made that lame excuse if it were H&M,” Twitter user @HRHMegSussex said.

“This is a whole lot of nothing. She moved away and then moved back. What about the rest of the hours? Which was wonderful,” Twitter user @kewgreene said.

“Not fake news, just not a big deal! Earlier in the episode, he touches her the same way and she does nothing. This is an engagement and she may not feel comfortable with it in this environment. (I love both Sussexes and Cambridges),” Twitter user @cheshie6 said.

Meanwhile, other Twitter users claimed to know what really happened between Prince William and Middleton at that moment.

“Naw, she hates him. Look at her folded hands and rigid demeanor,” Twitter user @ILikeManBuns said.

“She got ticklish and girly. She’s still madly in love with her dashing prince. Stop looking for faults where there isn’t as far as I can see. The Markle and her sugars started these horrible comparisons,” Twitter user @fleurie2407 said.

Meanwhile, royal etiquette expert Myka Meier previously told People that there are no actual rules when it comes to public displays of affection. However, they often adjust PDA depending on the formality of the event that they are attending.