All eyes are on Kate Middleton today, who is celebrating her 44th birthday! And, all eyes were on her yesterday, too. On 8 January, she made her first public appearance since Christmas Day – when she joined the royals for the traditional church walk in Sandringham – by touring a hospital in London with Prince William. During that tour, Kate was caught on camera breaking royal protocol as she introduced the future King to a fan.
In the clip, we see the Princess of Wales approach a patient at Charing Cross Hospital. She greets the patient and asks for their name, before turning to her husband and introducing him simply as William rather than Prince William, the Prince of Wales, or His Royal Highness. “This is William,” she says, gesturing to him.
Typically, William is formally introduced or referred to by his princely title because he holds the title by law as the heir to the throne. His full official title is His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales,but to be honest, that is a bit of a mouthful, so who can blame Kate for choosing to introduce her husband in a more casual manner?
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Elsewhere on socials, the Prince and Princess shared photos and videos from their visit and thanked the NHS for their tireless work. In response to their Instagram post, fans were really happy to see the couple return to public duties after their hiatus over the holidays.
“It was such a wonderful surprise to see you two out and about today,” someone said in the comments section. “So wonderful to see you all back at work. Hope you had a wonderful day, and thank you for championing and supporting our NHS,” wrote another fan.
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Jade Biggs (she/her) is one of Cosmopolitan UK’s freelance writers, working across all sections including entertainment, beauty, body, and sex and relationships. She previously held the position of Features Writer, covering everything from breaking news and the latest royal gossip, to the health and fitness trends taking over your TikTok feed. Jade has a degree in journalism and has been a journalist and content editor for ten years, interviewing leading researchers, high-profile influencers, and industry experts in that time. She is a cat mom to four fur babies and is obsessed with Drag Race, bottomless brunches, and wearing clothes only suitable for Bratz dolls. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.