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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Jennifer Newton

Royals' most romantic gestures - secret messages, sweet nickname and rare PDA

Traditionally, the royals aren't known for their public displays of affection - but that doesn't mean they don't have romantic sides.

There have been numerous moments when the likes of Prince William, the Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan Markle have all shown their love of their other halves in sweet romantic gestures.

From candid photos to adorable nicknames and even secret messages, members of the Firm are sometimes not afraid to show their love.

And as it is the most loved-up day of the year - Valentine's Day - here we look at some of the most romantic royal moments...

Prince William's proposal to Kate Middleton

William and Kate announce their engagement in 2010 (PA)

Prince William's proposal to wife Kate might have been a long-time coming as the pair had known each other for almost 10 years.

But it was nothing short of loving and sweet - even Kate herself said it was romantic.

The life-changing moment took place during a romantic holiday in Kenya in 2010, where the pair were spending the night in a remote wooden cabin near Lake Rutundu.

The future king got down on one knee with his late mother Princess Diana's sapphire engagement ring.

Kate wrote that it had been a "wonderful 24 hours" in the cabin's guestbook.

Kate wrote: "Thank you for such a wonderful 24 hours!

"Sadly no fish to be found but we had fun trying. I love the warm fires and candle lights—so romantic. Hope to be back soon." She signed off Catherine Middleton.

Meghan Markle's sweet wedding veil detail

Harry and Meghan on their wedding day in 2018 (Getty Images)

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From the bride making her way down the aisle to the couple enjoying their first kiss as a married couple - royal weddings have all the ingredients of a romantic day.

And when Prince Harry married Meghan Markle in May 2018 - it was definitely a magical day.

But it wasn't until months later that Meghan revealed the romantic tribute she paid to Harry - and it was hiding in her beautiful veil.

In the ITV documentary Queen and Commonwealth, Meghan can be seen inspecting her dress.

"Somewhere in here, there’s a piece of… did you see it?” she points out when inspecting her veil.

“The piece of blue fabric that’s stitched inside. It was my something blue.

"It’s fabric from the dress that I wore on our first date. It’s nice to see it again. It’s beautiful.”

Prince Charles' sweet nickname for Camilla

Charles has a sweet nickname for Camilla (Getty Images)

It's well-known that the royals love a nickname - and Prince Charles has an incredibly sweet one for his wife Camilla.

The heir to the throne his wife 'mehbooba', which means 'my beloved' in Urdu - the national language of Pakistan.

Charles' friends revealed the sweet pet name when reflecting on the Prince of Wales' devotion to his wife.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, one of Charles' pals said: "He loves his wife, he adores her.

"He calls her his 'mehbooba' – 'my beloved' [in Urdu]."

And just last week, Charles used the name to refer to Camilla while giving a speech at the British Asian Trust reception.

Prince Philip gives up titles for Queen

Philip was at the Queen's side for most of her reign (Tim Graham/Getty Images)

As the Queen's beloved husband, Prince Philip had several royal titles - including Duke of Edinburgh.

But before he was allowed to marry her in 1947, he faced the stark choice of having to abandon several other titles he had been given at birth in order to join Her Majesty in marriage.

That's because he was born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, but in order to marry the then Princess Elizabeth - he had to relinquish them in order to become a British citizen.

Of course, love won through and he ditched the styles and even went as far as adopting his maternal grandparents' surname of Mountbatten before marrying.

William and Kate's rare PDA

William and Kate's rare PDA at the Earthshot Prize awards last year (Chris Jackson/Getty)

It's not often William and Kate are caught on camera indulging in public displays of affection.

But behind the scenes photos from William's Earthshot Prize awards ceremony last year showed them doing exactly that.

The stunning snaps show William looking lovingly into his wife's eyes as they walk through the curtains at the award ceremony.

Princess Diana's secret love message

Millions watched around the world when Princess Diana married Prince Charles in a fairytale ceremony over 40 years ago.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana on their wedding day in 1981 (WireImage)

And of course, Diana's huge wedding dress stole the show.

But one part of the outfit that was hidden from view by the iconic David and Elizabeth Emmanuel-designed dress were her wedding shoes. And even though hardly anybody noticed them - they were just as exquisite and paid a loving tribute to her husband-to-be.

The suede shoes were adorned with 542 sequins and 132 pearls with Diana choosing an elegant heart-shaped pattern.

And underneath the small heels - the late princess had a hidden message, a small 'C and D' painted under the heel.

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