Fans are “embarrassed” after watching Prince William and wife Kate Middleton get caught up in an awkward moment at a public event—with one TikTok commenter saying, “This would keep me up at night if I was them”.
The moment actually occurred in 2014 during the royal couple’s first official visit to Australia and New Zealand; however, the video only went viral this week after being posted on the TikTok account @the.royal.watcher.
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Will And Kate’s Goofy Gaffe Actually Happened In 2014
We all wish that our most embarrassing moments would disappear from the minds of those around us basically as soon as they occur. Unfortunately for the Prince and Princess of Wales, the internet got ahold of one of theirs this week after nearly 10 years, with the clip of the incident being viewed over a million times on TikTok this week with more than 30,000 likes and over 400 comments, most of which noted that the royals didn’t just move the stuck curtain themselves.
The TikTok clip shows the couple unveiling a memorial plaque at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand at Wigram in Christchurch—or, at least, attempting to unveil the plaque. As William and Kate each pulled a cord to part a velvet curtain and reveal the plaque, the awkwardness set in after repeated attempts to open the curtain failed to work.
The Prince and Princess took it in stride, though: they both laughed at the snafu and a member of the delegation accompanying their visit saved the day by moving the curtain manually.
Fans Comment: 'Well That's Embarrassing'
The goofiness of the situation hit TikTok audiences just right, catapulting the video into the millions-watched club within days. "They would have kept pulling that string until one of them won," read one comment on the viral clip. "They are so competitive." Another laughed, "They stood there forever pulling that string."
Some commenters remarked that, as royalty, the pair are used to having everything pretty much done for them—and that was perhaps the reason why the awkward curtain call went on for so long. "Can't do anything without help!" said one critic. "I'm just wondering how much longer until one of them thought of a simple solution," replied another. One TikToker brought it back to family history: "They [needed] Prince Philip who in his own words was 'the world's most experienced plaque unveiler.'" Indeed, commenters agreed, saying of Philip, "[William's] grandfather was the professional plaque unveiler."
Others thought it was all in good fun: "They knew, but they got carried away pulling on the string playing with each other."
One commenter wrapped it up with a joke: "They will blame it on Harry."