Prince William’s reassuring hand on Princess Kate’s thigh stuns royal fans

The Prince and Princess of Wales’ love story is like a real-life fairytale.

After their coincidental meet-cute as teenagers at St Andrews University, their romance began to bloom, resulting in one of the most adored royal love stories of all time.

This year, William and Kate’s relationship has faced an unprecedented amount of change amid the Princess’ cancer diagnosis, with the royal admitting she is “doing well” but is “not out of the woods yet.”

Relying on her lifelong partner for love and support, as well as positive messages from the public, Kate said in her last public statement: “It really has made the world of difference to William and me and has helped us both through some of the harder times.”

Looking back on their enduring love, royal fans have taken to TikTok to relive some of the couple’s most precious moments together – including the day they announced their engagement to the world.

One clip in particular has sparked interest amongst royal fans, who hadn’t previously noticed a moment of affection between the couple on the day in November 2010.

In their engagement interview, the now mother-of-three is asked how she feels about becoming a working member of the royal family.

“It’s obviously nerve-wracking because I don’t know what I’m doing – I sort of don’t know the ropes really,” Kate can be heard saying, stumbling over her words as she fights her nerves.

“I’m willing to learn quickly and work hard,” she smiles, to which William chimes in: “She’ll do really well.”

At the same time, William pats his wife’s thigh and gently squeezes her knee. Fans were quick to notice the Princess’s “nerves” and William’s “reassuring leg pat,” rushing to the comments of the now-viral post.

“I love how he helped her and the fact that touch is their reassurance. So in tune with each other,” commented one TikTok user.

“She is so endearing! Just look at how he looks at her,” gushed another fan, while a third wrote: “Catherine chose well. She knew she wanted him. She knew she loved him. She knew it was not going to be easy. He is so proud of her. I truly believe that they work hard at everything.”

The world seemingly ground to a halt to witness the Prince and Princess of Wales’ historic wedding on 29 April 2011, from the 200 fans who gathered outside Westminster Abbey to catch a glimpse of the newlyweds, to the 2,000 guests inside witnessing the nuptials and the 22 million TV viewers.

Kate looked breathtaking in a bespoke Alexander McQueen dress, with her sister Pippa Middleton acting as her only bridesmaid.

Meanwhile, Prince William looked like a storybook Prince in his red Irish Guards uniform, his most senior military position.