William & Kate's Distant Chemistry At Trooping The Colour 2025 Is Setting Off Alarm Bells

William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales' seeming disinterest in each other at Trooping the Colour 2025 has set off alarm bells and sent social media into a frenzy. The royals appeared distant, rarely talking or interacting as they stood together with their three children to watch the obligatory flyover. Prince William seemed to look everywhere except in his wife's direction. At the same time, Kate Middleton stood rigidly by his side, staring straight ahead with a fixed smile firmly in place. The sun may have been shining bright in London, but it looked decidedly chilly on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

A family all together. The Wales family. #troopingthecolour2025 pic.twitter.com/XfjrubshRu

— 🎩Laird of the Manor🎩 (@LairdOfTheManor) June 14, 2025

The couple's lack of interaction and warmth has fueled the Kate and William divorce chatter that has been circulating since 2019. Rumors of an impending split first emerged after The Sun claimed Kate and her former bestie, Rose Hanbury, aka the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, had suffered a major bust-up because the former viewed the latter as a "rural rival" for William's affections. 

"It is well known that Kate and Rose have had a terrible falling out. They used to be close, but that is not the case anymore," a source told the British tabloid. "... Kate has been clear that she doesn't want to see [Hanbury and her husband David Rock­savage] anymore and wants William to phase them out, despite their social status." Things escalated when In Touch reported that Kate had discovered that William and Hanbury had allegedly had an affair.

William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, have had a trying past 18 months. First, in January 2024, news broke of King Charles III's cancer diagnosis, followed by Kate Middleton's shocking announcement two months later that she had also been diagnosed and was undergoing treatment. Then, of course, there's Prince William and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex's strained relationship. That seems to become even more toxic each and every day as Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, continue to spill the piping hot royal tea, and Kate frequently finds herself caught in the crossfire of the battling brothers and her sister-in-law.

Going through such a turbulent time together often brings couples closer together. However, judging by their icy interaction at Trooping the Colour 2025 and ongoing rumors about William and Kate's purportedly troubled relationship, it appears to have had the opposite effect on them.

William has been spread thin, dealing with both his father's and his wife's illnesses. However, fortunately, Kate's family rallied, offering all their love, support, and care. "It was a challenging time, and I know for us and our bigger family, it was a challenging time, but I think it's about communication and it's about offering support and help where you can," Kate's brother, James Middleton, told The London Times in May 2025. "Being there for someone is such an important part," he said, sharing that they ensured their help was offered on Kate's terms, not theirs.

Although it is not one of the strict rules that the royal family has to follow, the aristocracy is hardly known for their love of public displays of affection. However, Prince William and Princess Catherine of Wales' distant chemistry at Trooping the Colour 2025 took affection abstinence to a new level. There was no hand-holding, arm touching, loving gazes, or even much talking between the two, with Kate's attention seemingly laser-focused on the couple's three kids and William's mainly on the sky above and his general surroundings.

It's a sharp contrast from their royal rivals, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who took things to the other extreme during their time in the Firm, resulting in them coming under fire for their affectionate public displays and touchy behavior. Still, William and Kate are rarely passionate when out and about mingling with the masses or waving from a safe distance. The spouses prefer to keep things strictly above board and PG rather than engaging in PDA — especially when they aren't on British soil.

"The likely reasoning is more that while traveling on a tour ... technically the couple are working representatives of British Monarchy," royal etiquette expert Myka Meier told People in March 2023 while speculating on why William and Kate keep their public distance from each other. "The couple are likely to show very little PDA, if any, to remain professional during their designated roles abroad."