Lip Reader's Take On Kate & Will's Tense Balcony Moment Has Us Worried For Their Marriage
Headlines about William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales' appearance at Trooping the Colour offered succor to concerned monarchists, but the optimistic ink didn't tell the real story about the husband and wife. Video footage showed Prince William and Kate Middleton having some chilly interactions, and Kate uttered a phrase fraught with foreboding for their marriage.
Aside from the distracting Eliza Doolittle bow that ruined Kate's Trooping the Colour outfit, she looked every part the princess for her first royal engagement in many months. It was exactly what her supporters needed to see after fretting over her health for so long. The Daily Mail also tried to assure its readers that her marriage was stronger than ever by describing a brief glance between William and Kate as a "look of love." The royal couple didn't engage with each other much otherwise, however, so the publication had its work cut out for it selling the "happily ever after" narrative.
At one point when William did acknowledge his wife's presence, his exchange with her was also a bit tense, according to Nicola Hickling, founder of LipReader. The lip-reading expert told The List that the couple appeared to have a brief argument on the Buckingham Palace balcony during the RAF flyover. Instead of smoothing things over with William so they could keep calm and carry on, it seems that Kate decided to cut their conversation short with a terse, two-worded response.
The royal couple's inability to remain civil may be telling
Royals are aware that anything they say can and will be seen by lip readers when they attend public events, so they always have to closely guard their words. Amid rumors that Kate Middleton and Prince Williams' marriage might be on the rocks, the couple had to know that their Trooping the Colour conversations would be dissected. But concern about the public's perception of them seemingly went out the window at one point.
According to lipreading expert Nicola Hickling, cameras captured the tail-end of a disagreement between the couple. "Can you accept that? You win," William said to his wife. However, he didn't end their conversation there, adding, "Let me tell you I'm wrong." Kate apparently wanted to say something more but bit back her words. Instead, she snippily responded, "Never mind."
It can't be a good sign that William and Kate couldn't play nice for the entirety of a single event, and some skeptics don't believe that the moment Kate flashed her pearly whites at her husband and faced him was a loving look at all. Her smile did seem a bit strained, and the larger picture showed little in the way of warmth between the couple. "This was a split second glance. Other than that, they barely acknowledged each other," one observer tweeted. Another agreed, writing, "They clearly couldn't even stand to look at each other longer than it took to give a fake smile for this."