That first Buckingham Palace balcony kiss on their wedding day was so nice, the newly minted Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had to do it twice (yes, actually, I would like some wine with my cheese). It was an unprecedented second public display of affection from members of the royal family that, at least in 2011, so rarely showed any. April 29, 2011, was the first large-scale royal wedding of the modern era, when two college sweethearts tied the knot in front of the world’s watching eyes.
Although it happened over 12 years ago, a whole new slew of royal fans are rediscovering the moment via TikTok, where a clip of the second kiss is taking the platform by storm. People reports that a clip shared by the account Royalfancams has been viewed over 6.5 million times, and you can see William whisper something in Kate’s ear. What did he say?
After their wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey, the newlyweds rode through the streets of London and eventually made the requisite Buckingham Palace balcony appearance to wave at the crowds assembled below. In a tradition accidentally started by William’s parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, on their own wedding day in 1981, the crowd was anticipating a kiss from the bride and groom. (Charles and Diana kissed on the Buckingham Palace balcony because they forgot to kiss at the Abbey, they were so nervous.) So, William and Kate gave the people what they wanted, sharing their first public kiss as husband and wife. The crowd roared and begged the couple for another one. Responding to their requests, William asked Kate, “Shall we do one more?” before they kissed for a second time to thunderous cheers, and an iconic moment in royal lore was born.
After the spontaneous second kiss, Kate giggled, and William waved.
And, while folks think there is royal protocol around everything—including PDA—royal etiquette expert and Beaumont Etiquette founder Myka Meier tells People that there are actually no formal rules around royal couples and public displays of affection; rather, it’s at their own discretion.
“Senior members of the royal family would likely not be told how to interact or when they can or cannot show PDA and would be trusted to use their better judgment as to when it’s appropriate,” she said. “The royals often adjust PDA to mirror the formality of the event they are attending. At a somber or more formal event, we are less likely to see PDA than at a casual event where it would be deemed more fitting.”
