Perhaps nobody better embodies English royalty than Prince William. That’s only fitting… after all, this is the future King of England!
For the most part, Queen Elizabeth created the template for keeping her cool, especially in public. No matter how hectic or downright weird things got, people could look to the queen as a model of restraint and control.
William may seem pretty restrained, but he’s not quite up to Elizabeth’s level yet. And that means we have plenty of incidents of William acting angry, goofy, and downright inappropriate in front of millions of people.
These videos are proof. But after watching them, you may never look at the future King of England in quite the same way!
Laughing about COVID-19
“In vino veritas” is a fancy way of saying people are more likely to speak the truth when they’ve been drinking. In William’s case, though, that has us a bit worried!
In this clip, William is visiting the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin on March 4, 2020. Like any good Englishman, William couldn’t turn down a taste of beer straight from the brewery. And we can only guess the brew was quite strong because William began joking about something that is no laughing matter: COVID-19.
In early March of 2020, many were still trying to figure out how serious COVID would be. We can see William mocking people who think they have the virus by saying they simply have a cough. He goes on to claim that the virus is “hyped up” and even cracks a joke that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are spreading it!
RELATED: The Most Embarrassing Kate Middleton Moments Captured On Camera
His royal flyness
For the most part, William fancies himself as a prince of the people. That means he’s not above busting a move in the dance club like he did in this clip. There’s just one problem: poor William basically has no moves at all!
Seriously, this dancing is so bad that it’s almost hypnotic. William appears to be raising the roof, but his arms only extend so far (we can only guess that this building has a low ceiling). This would be bad enough, but William busted out some more embarrassing dance moves a year later when doing a wiggle dance alongside some paramedics.
William may have inherited a royal title, but he certainly didn’t inherit any sense of rhythm.
Laughing during church
Part of being a prince is going to plenty of official services. And in this clip, we can see William in his best finery during a service at Westminster Abbey. Kate was by his side, so she got to witness one of his more embarrassing moments.
William appears to realize he is on camera. Whether it is this realization or something else that causes the reaction, William suddenly starts giggling. We can relate to this (who hasn’t started laughing when they realize someone is looking at them), but laughing during a church service is a bad look for the future king.
RELATED: Why Prince William Really Hated Living With Prince Harry
Good night, sweet prince
What’s worse than giggling during a church service? Falling asleep, of course!
Before the incident where he laughed during service, William was at Westminster Abbey without Kate. We’ll never know whether her absence made a big difference, if the service was that boring, or William was just plain tired. But in front of God and the world, we see the prince begin dozing off right in the middle of service!
William avoids discussing his awkward breakup with Kate
These days, it’s impossible to think about Prince William without thinking about Kate Middleton. But in 2007, there was an awkward period where William and Kate broke up before getting back together a few weeks later.
For the most part, William said nothing about the breakup. But in an interview that resurfaced recently, a hapless reporter asked William (with Harry right by his side) how things were going with Kate at a press conference for a Princess Diana memorial concert.
“Tell us about the friends you’ve got coming along to the concert. I understand Kate and Chelsy will be joining you. How are things going with Kate?” the reporter asked.
Will did his best to avoid mentioning Kate or their breakup. “Er, well er, I’ve got lots of friends coming. Everyone’s going to be there on the night and it’s going to be a great night basically.”
Prince Harry actually bursts into laughter, saying “Very well avoided, William.” Dryly, William agrees by replying “Very diplomatic.”
RELATED: 9 Times The Royal Family Got Angry On Camera
Messing up a high-five
Some of Prince William’s embarrassing moments are easy to relate to. And that includes this awkward clip where he manages to mess up a high five!
At the 2014 BAFTA Awards, rapper Tinie Tempah tries to give William a high-five. William seems to think the singer is going for a handshake and ends up clasping his hand. The weird moment only lasts for a second, but it serves as a keen reminder that royals can be just as socially awkward as the rest of us.
William is no “Prince” when he tries to sing
We already know that Prince William can’t really dance. Before that, though, we learned that he also can’t really sing.
Back in 2013, William got on stage with none other than Jon Bon Jovi and Taylor Swift. They were there to perform at the Winter Whites Gala charity ball at Kensington Palace. And William tries to help them sing “Livin’ On a Prayer.”
“Tries” is the operative word, here. Next to two professional singers, poor William sounds like the guy that makes everyone groan each week doing bad karaoke at the pub.
RELATED: 6 Times Royals Were Caught Being Rude
William is asked if he supports Prince Andrew
Prince Andrew is in the middle of a huge scandal, facing a civil lawsuit over allegations he sexually assaulted American Virginia Giuffre in 2001 when she was 17 years old. The scandal is so huge that Queen Elizabeth stripped Andrew of all his military and royals titles on January 13.
Six days later, William and Kate made a visit to the Foundling Museum in London in their first royal engagement of 2022. The visit should have generated a lot of goodwill in the public, as Kate has been a patron of the museum, which tells the story of the historic British children’s charity the Foundling Hospital, since 2019.
But after their visit, a TV reporter stopped William on his way out of the museum. “Your royal highness, can I just ask if you support Prince Andrew?”
William looked at him wide-eyed for a moment, then asked, “I’m sorry, I can’t hear you?”
The reporter leaned in and said, “Do you support Prince Andrew?”
At that point, William rebuffed the reporter as he continued to ask, “Have you spoken to him recently?”
Meanwhile, someone at the museum told William, “I’m so sorry,” as he walked out. It was an embarrassing end to what should have been a public relations win for the future king.