Prince William Revealed the Worst Gift He Gave Kate Middleton

dublin, ireland march 04 embargoed for publication in uk newspapers until 24 hours after create date and time prince william, duke of cambridge and catherine, duchess of cambridge visit the teagasc animal grassland research centre in grange, county meath on march 4, 2020 near dublin, ireland the duke and duchess of cambridge are undertaking an official visit to ireland at the request of the foreign and commonwealth office photo by max mumbyindigogetty images

(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo)

last updated 29 September 2021

Prince William appeared on a special episode (opens in new tab) of former soccer player Peter Crouch's podcast.
He shared the worst gift he ever bought Kate Middleton: a pair of binoculars.
"She was looking at me going, 'They’re binoculars, what’s going on?'" William recalled.

What do you do when you're obscenely wealthy, you have a literal team of staff who could source your every whim, and your beloved then-girlfriend needs a gift? Well, if you're Prince William, you absolutely spiral and buy her something better suited to your elderly aunt who likes to birdwatch of a Sunday morning: a pair of binoculars.

William confessed his terrible choice of gift to former soccer player Peter Crouch during a special Kensington Palace recording of the latter's BBC podcast, That Peter Crouch Podcast. "That was early on in the courtship, that was. I wrapped them. They were really nice," he reflected, as People reports (opens in new tab). "I was trying to convince myself about it. I was like, 'But these are really amazing, look how far you can see!'"

Unsurprisingly, Kate was not convinced, William admitted. "She was looking at me going, 'They’re binoculars, what’s going on?' It didn’t go well. Honestly, I have no idea why I bought her a pair of binoculars."

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The royal appeared on the podcast to discuss his mental health initiative, Heads Up, ahead of Saturday's Heads Up FA Cup Final between soccer teams Arsenal and Chelsea. William emphasized the importance of speaking about mental health, and seeking help when needed. "We all have mental health, and we all have to stay mentally fit," he said. "It’s a strength to talk about your mental health, it’s not a weakness. You know, if you’re not feeling well, something’s bothering you, talk about it—it’s not a problem."

Kate Middleton's Most Iconic Fashion Moments

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the duke and duchess of cambridge visit south wales — (Image credit: WPA Pool)

August 5, 2020

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stepped out to visit Barry island, South Wales to speak to local business owners about the impact COVID 19 on tourism. She wore an Emilia Wickstead dress, find similar one here (opens in new tab)and Castañer espadrilles (opens in new tab).

britain royals — (Image credit: JOE GIDDENS)

June 27, 2020

For a visit to The Nook in eastern England, Kate Middleton wore an affordable floral print dress from Faithfull the Brand. Not surprisingly, thanks to the Kate Effect, it sold out almost immediately. However, fans of the design can see buy clothing iterations of the of it here (opens in new tab) and here (opens in new tab). She completed the casual outing look with a pair of Russell & Bromley coconut wedges (shop similar espadrilles (opens in new tab)) and Accessorize hoop earrings (opens in new tab).

the duchess of cambridge visits london stadium to meet the parents and guardians of sportsaid stars — (Image credit: WPA Pool)

February 26, 2020

The Duchess of Cambridge left a SportsAid Stars event in London wearing a two-piece green outfit. She wore a Mango sweater (opens in new tab), Zara culottes (opens in new tab), a Smythe blazer (opens in new tab), and green stripe sneakers from Marks and Spencer. Her accessories included green Monica Vinader earrings (opens in new tab) and a gold Daniella Draper necklace (opens in new tab).

the duchess of cambridge joins family action to mark new patronage — (Image credit: Samir Hussein)

December 4, 2019

The Duchess of Cambridge joined families and children who are supported by the charity Family Action at Peterley Manor Farm in England. For the outing, she wore holiday colors: a red ski jacket from Perfect Moment (opens in new tab), a Really Wild (opens in new tab) green sweater (shop similar (opens in new tab)), blue jeans, and Berghaus brown booties (opens in new tab).

the duchess of cambridge opens anna freud centre of excellence — (Image credit: Karwai Tang)

May 1, 2019

What color looks the best on Kate? Trick question: every color looks good on her, even green. The Duchess of Cambridge was spotted in this deep jade colored dress from Emilia Wickstead (opens in new tab) while leaving the new Centre of Excellence at Anna Freud Centre in London. She accessorized with beige Gianvito Rossi (opens in new tab) pointy toe pumps and a Mulberry Amberley clutch (opens in new tab).

Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.