Prince William’s joking moment with his father, King Charles III, during rehearsals for the coronation in May has gone viral, after never-before-seen footage from preparations for the ceremony was broadcast in a special documentary in Britain.
William and Charles’ relationship has been the subject of speculation in the years since Princess Diana’s death in 1997 with interest recently being revived with the publication of Prince Harry’s January 2023 memoir and the December 2023 release of The Crown‘s final season.
Royal fans were given a rare glimpse at the father and son in an off-duty moment during rehearsals for the coronation as part of the BBC documentary Charles III: The Coronation Year which aired on December 26.
This fly-on-the-wall-style special saw cameras follow Charles and Queen Camilla throughout 2023, their first full year on the throne, with a series of clips quickly going viral on social media.
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Uploaded to TikTok by user, princess__jo, on December 27, footage showing William practicing swearing his oath of allegiance to the king in one of the Westminster Abbey rehearsals for the coronation has been viewed over half a million times in less than 24 hours.
In the clip, William rehearses the moment he touches the king’s crown and kisses him on the cheek after saying the homage: : “I, William, Prince of Wales, pledge my loyalty to you, and faith and truth I will bear unto you, as your liege man of life and limb. So help me God.”
After mimicking touching the crown, the prince jokingly tickled his father on the cheek before kissing his right cheek. He was then told it was the left he needed on the day.
“Oh is it the left side?” he said, before joking: “Your left cheek is better!”
The video has received in excess of 22,000 likes and over 200 comments so far, many of which have praised the royals’ relationship.
“I love the way, King Charles looks at his son. He loves him so much,” wrote one TikTok user.
“Although he is a king let’s not forget that he is a father with a fatherly feelings,” posted another user, with a further comment reading: “What a warm bonding between father and son.”
Following the coronation, which took place on May 6, William also played a central role during the coronation concert the following evening.
During the concert, the prince made a dedicated speech to his father, paying tribute to his years of public service and referenced the pride Queen Elizabeth II would have felt to witness his crowning.
“As my grandmother said when she was crowned, coronations are a declaration of our hopes for the future,” he said. “And I know she’s up there, fondly keeping an eye on us. And she would be a very proud mother.
“For all that celebrations are magnificent, at the heart of the pageantry is a simple message: Service.
“My father’s first words on entering Westminster Abbey yesterday were a pledge of service. It was a pledge to continue to serve.”
He went on to make his own dedication to the new king, telling him: “Pa, we are all so proud of you.”
In the year since Charles became king, William has increased his visibility within the monarchy, taking on the new title of Prince of Wales and taking part in a number of high-profile ceremonies alongside his father.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek‘s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.