Prince William's Unexpected Reaction to Royal Fan's Kate Middleton Compliment

Kate Middleton wears a navy an white nautical inspired outfit to visit BAE Systems' Shipbuilding Academy in Scotstoun, Glasgow on May 22, 2025 in Glasgow, Scotland — (Image credit: Andy Barr - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Kate Middleton seemingly receives a plethora of compliments from royal fans wherever she goes, and her husband, Prince William, apparently has some thoughts about that. During the couple's joint excursion to Scotland on May 22, Princess Kate—who was wearing a nautical, Princess Diana-inspired outfit—was called "beautiful" by a well-wisher in the crowd, and the Prince of Wales decided to respond.

Kate and William both attended the official naming ceremony of the Royal Navy's new warship, HMS Glasgow, which took place at BAE Systems's shipyard in Scotstoun, Glasgow. At one point during the couple's visit, a royal fan shouted out to Kate Middleton, "You're beautiful," as heard on a video clip of the event shared on Instagram.

The fan followed up the compliment with the words, "You too, William!" Understandably, other people in the crowd started laughing at the funny comment. However, they likely didn't expect the Prince of Wales to actually respond.

Kate Middleton walking in a navy and white coat with Prince William — In Glasgow, a royal fan called Kate Middleton "beautiful."

While walking away from the crowd, Prince William could be heard saying, "You don't have to say that. Don't worry." Clearly, the royal took the fan's comments in good humor.

Kate Middleton wearing a navy and white coat and hat laughing at a table — Kate Middleton wore a nautical-inspired outfit in Scotland.

Aside from traveling to Scotland, Prince William's busy week included a surprise appearance at a London screening of a new wildlife and preservation series called Guardians. The series will focus on how the rangers that protect endangered animals have an incredibly perilous career, with the BBC reporting, "Around 1,400 rangers have died in the past decade."

Prince William told journalists at the event (via the BBC), "This is now one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet." He continued, "It shouldn't be. Protecting the natural world shouldn't be that dangerous."

Elaborating on the importance of the new series, William explained, "Being a soldier, a police officer, the emergency services—these jobs are dangerous, people put their lives on the line. I don't think people realize it's the same for these guys and girls around the world."

As for why rangers have found themselves in such dangerous situations, William pointed to "community conflicts or civil wars, or illegal fishing, or poaching—whatever it might be is just spreading further and further across the globe."

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Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.