Prince William's Very Daring Joke Caught on Camera

Prince William had community members in fits of giggles on Tuesday as he broke the ice during a photo-call with a daring joke about his backside, which was caught on camera.

The Prince and Princess of Wales visited the Welsh city of Cardiff on October 3 to mark Black History Month by meeting with members of the Windrush Generation—the name given to migrants, mainly from the Caribbean nations, who were encouraged to settle in Britain between 1948 and 1973 to aid in the country's post-war recovery.

The prince and princess posed for a formal photograph with members of the Windrush Cymru Elders group at the Grange Pavilion, and William broke the ice by offering the joke: "Who's pinching my bottom?"

This caused the group—and Kate—to burst out laughing, resulting in a number of joyful images.

While William's reference to his rear-end is highly unusual for a member of the British royal family, who are known for the serious and professional way they carry out public duties, the prince is not the first royal to deploy icebreakers in such a way.

Queen Elizabeth II routinely made similar (if slightly more subtle) jokes to liven up serious royal photo-calls.

TikTok user, royal_secrets24, highlighted this in a video comparing William's icebreaker on Tuesday with an example of the prince's grandmother's filmed back in 2021.

During a meeting of the G7 in Cornwall, southwest England, Elizabeth posed with world leaders for an official photograph, with news cameras covering the event picking up her icebreaker of: "Are you supposed to be looking as if you are enjoying yourselves?"

In a similar response to the prince's joke, the world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, broke their stern expressions into laughing smiles.

William's interaction with the Windrush community in Cardiff extended beyond his icebreaker joke. The prince was filmed hugging his way through the members of group, though he jokingly said, per the Times of London: "I draw the line at kissing."

Later in the day, William and Kate both visited the Fitzalan High School in Cardiff, meeting with pupils to discuss how Black History Month is being marked in schools.

During a discussion with a group of students, Kate was heard asking about exams and how they were preparing. During this, she referenced her own children's school life, and her elder son, Prince George's, upcoming tests.

"George is just at the beginning of being tested. He says, 'Mummy, I keep getting tested all the time.' But when it gets to A-levels you feel like you're on it," she said, reported by People.

Ten-year-old George's education was pulled into public focus earlier this month when it was announced that Kate won't be attending the 2023 Earthshot Prize in Singapore in November with Prince William, as it will come during the young prince's exam period.

Kate attended the two previous Earthshot Prize awards ceremonies, in London in 2021, and Boston in 2022.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.