Princess Kate's competition victory over Prince William during an official visit to Wales has gone viral as the couple celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary on April 29.
Kate has been out of the public eye since the beginning of 2024, first, to undergo and recover from abdominal surgery; and, second, following the announcement that she is receiving a course of preventive chemotherapy linked to a cancer diagnosis.
In the absence of new appearances from the princess, who topped a recent poll in Britain as the most-popular member of the royal family, fans have taken to social media to share highlights from favorite past engagements and events.
Uploaded to video-sharing platform TikTok by user @milfssb, one of the latest of these retrospective posts shows the princess as she was awarded a small trophy for winning a sprint-cycling race against her husband during a 2023 visit to Wales.
William and Kate took on the titles of Prince and Princess of Wales in 2022, following the accession of King Charles III. As such, the couple have taken on an increased presence in the country with a series of high-profile visits.
In the TikTok clip, which has been viewed over 414,000 times on the platform so far, Kate appeared surprised to learn that she won a 45-second endurance cycle race against William during a community center visit in the Welsh town of Port Talbot.
The clip is captioned: "No cause how did bro win a cycling race thinly IN A SKIRT. AND BOOTS. WHAT CAN'T KATE MIDDLETON DO ATP [at this point] she's so elegant doing anything too like HOW?"
@milfssb no cause how did bro win a cycling race thingy IN A SKIRT. AND BOOTS. WHAT CAN'T KATE MIDDLETON DO ATP she's so elegant doing anything too like HOW #fyp #royalfamily #catherinemiddleton #princessofwales #katemiddletonedit #katemiddleton #princewilliam ♬ original sound - Marie
Also included in the post are clips of the princess taken at several high-profile public events in recent years, one of the most notable being the state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II, which took place at Westminster Abbey in London, England, on September 19, 2022.
Kate's appearance for the event was widely celebrated, with the princess wearing an elegant black coat dress and wide-brimmed black hat with delicate veiling covering her face.
Another of Kate's celebrated fashion moments from the past two years was also spotlighted in the TikTok clip, featuring an image of the royal playing the piano. The photo was released to celebrate the Eurovision Song Contest held in Liverpool in May 2023.
In a special surprise cameo during the opening number of the event's grand final, Kate appeared in a prerecorded video clip filmed in the crimson drawing room of Windsor Castle in Berkshire, England. She was wearing a dramatic blue evening gown and playing the piano.
The TikTok post has received in excess of 58,000 likes so far and 200 comments, many of which have praised Kate and her engagement when out in public.
"She's iconic," wrote one user. "Love how they're super competitive with one another but she ultimately didn't even need to try. True queen."
"She's so perfect," posted another, with a further user adding: "I remember that cycle ride. Will was huffing and puffing after a while and she was as cool as a cucumber."
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.
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.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
