Kate Middleton’s Secret Playful Side Revealed

0:03 Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I am your host, Mark Francis. William and Kate are keeping their public focus on their work with royal commentator Russell Myers saying the couple appear determined to enjoy their engagements rather than address the family disputes making headlines. Speaking on Pod Save the King, the Mirror's royal editor said, What William and Catherine are doing is not only putting their best foot forward, but actually enjoying the job. It doesn't need to be so heavy all the time. They're not going to speak about Harry and Meghan. They're not going to speak about Andrew's court case. They just want to get on with life and have a bit of fun along the way. The Mirror's deputy royal editor, Jennifer Newton, added, And is this not the best way to say something without saying anything at all? Just getting on with it and having fun.

0:53 They don't have to put out any statements when these appearances do all the talking. Kate could encourage William to take a more modest approach to royal residences when he becomes king, royal author Ingrid Seward suggests. In her book, Catherine and Diana, Seward raises the question of how many homes the couple will maintain and staff throughout the year. Will they stay small in Forest Lodge, or go the whole hog and decide to keep Sandringham, Balmoral and all the other smaller houses there? light and warm and staffed throughout the long winter nights? The voice of Catherine, whose mother was brought up in a council flat in William's ear, might suggest that keeping things relatively modest is in tune with the times. All the signs point to William wishing to downsize the grandeur of the royal family, not to lose its tradition or its panoply of grandeur, but to bring it in line with people's expectations. Kate's childhood holidays included gathering firewood and bathing in tin baths, according to Seward.

1:50 Michael Middleton regularly took the family on adventure holidays in the Lake District where they had a cottage. She believes Kate's temperament is closer to her father's than to Carol's, describing her mother as feisty. Kate's uncle, Gary Goldsmith, has also described Kate as someone who isn't precious and quietly gets on with the task at hand. Royal correspondent Emily Andrews says Kate's private personality is more playful than people might expect from her formal appearances. Speaking on Catching Up With The Royals, Andrews said, The public Catherine is quite reserved and quite formal and very warm with the kiddies, but she's not going to give you too much. The private Kate is quite different. Very warm, very friendly and got a great sense of humour. She also recalled a practical joke from William and Kate's Australia visit in 2014 involving a plastic spider used to mark where the couple should stand. Her and William had to stand in a specific place and it had been marked out on the floor with a plastic spider. So she crept around the back of the sofa to where one of her aides was sitting, and she knew that he didn't like spiders, and she kind of drops it into her aide's lap.

2:51 I mean, he nearly hit the roof. I mean, everyone thought it was very funny, including, I should say, the aide, Andrews said. Kate's technique for drinking tea elegantly comes down to where she looks inside the cup rather than over the rim. Etiquette expert Laura Windsor highlighted the habit in Channel 5's series Buckingham Palace a year in the life. She explains, when you're drinking tea, try to look inside the cup because it looks more elegant. There's nothing worse than sipping your tea with googly eyes. So always look into the cup, and Princess Catherine does this beautifully. She looks inside the cup, she knows exactly what she's doing, and that is all about elegance. The attention paid to her eyeline also recalls advice Prince Philip reportedly gave her about being photographed. Biographer Giles Brandreth recounts Philip telling Kate, If you believe the attention is for you personally, you're going to end up in trouble. The attention is for your role, what you do, what you're supporting. It isn't for you as an individual. You are not a celebrity.

3:49 You are representing the royal family, that's all. Don't look at the camera. The queen never looks at the camera, never. Look at who you're talking to. More palace in just a moment. Many of you over the years have told me that someone in your family has started a podcast. You've got a grandson, a niece, a friend from the book club. If that's you, I have something they might like. My team and I have built a podcast studio called Linnet. And when I say my team, that's John and myself. It lets you write, record, edit, and publish a show all in one place right inside your web browser. And it's what we've learned from making this program every day put into one tool. And I'm using it now to edit and record and publish this show. There's some great AI tools in there too for you to become a better creator. It's free right now through November while we're testing it. So if there's a podcaster in your life, pass it along. Just go to linnetmedia.com. That's L-I-N-N-E-T media.com.

4:48 We appreciate your support. William urged people to reach out to anyone they fear may be struggling in a personal message marking World Mental Health Day. Writing on Instagram, he said, Every day in the UK, around 20 people die by suicide. Behind every number is a person, a family, and people who love them. If you're worried about someone, reach out. Ask how they're really doing. Listen. Let them know they're not alone. One conversation can change everything. In September, William and Kate also launched On Your Side, a toolkit designed to help people in sport recognize when someone may be at risk and start a conversation. Speaking on World Suicide Prevention Day, William said, Prevention works when responsibility is shared.

5:29 when people have the confidence to act, and when organizations provide the tools, knowledge, and culture that make those actions possible. That is what today is about, giving people the confidence to step forward, giving organizations a practical way to make a difference, and bringing the sporting community together behind a shared purpose. William has helped launch a free toolkit designed to get communities ready for floods, wildfires, power cuts, and other emergencies, The National Emergencies Trust's Ready Together project helps local groups identify the people, skills and supplies they could call on during a crisis and put an emergency plan together before it is needed. At a local cafe, William met 74-year-old Tina Groves, who was visually impaired. She recalled watching diving on television when she heard rushing water and initially thought it was coming from the program. Her kitchen was flooding. That brings new meaning to Surround Sound, William said.

6:21 It's the sort of thing that nobody thinks about when you have difficulties seeing how a flooding event might affect you. William donated approximately $ 6, 700 to a former Royal Marine who spent nearly 11 months roaming alone across the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The contribution appeared under the name William Wales on Dave Dinger Bell's fundraising page on October 5th, three days after he reached Kenya. William also sent a message congratulating him. An extraordinary achievement. Huge congratulations to Dinger for completing this incredible challenge in support of a brilliant cause. Well done. He signed a W. Bell publicly thanked William in a video from Kenya and acknowledged the support of William and Kate's official social media account, which had shared his journey. The former Marine left Peru in November 2025 and spent 327 consecutive days at sea without setting foot on land. He covered more than 15,000 nautical miles. He had intended to finish in Mauritius, but weather and currents pushed him toward mainland Africa. Changing course for Kenya added roughly another 1,000 nautical miles. Bell, who served 20 years in the Royal Marines, is raising money for Rock to Recovery.

7:32 The organisation provides coaching for serving personnel, veterans, emergency workers and their families. William used the surname Wales during his school and military years. He has also used it for other donations this year, including support for a community pub campaign in Wiltshire. and a farmer's fundraising walk focused on rural mental health. And there you have it. If you'd like to email us, our address is thepalaceintrigue at gmail.com. If you're on Spotify, leave us a comment. If you're on Apple, hit that button up there that says listen uninterrupted, get the show commercial free for five bucks a month. And if there's a creator in your life or a podcaster, ask them to check out linnetmedia.com. L-I-N-N-E-T. I'm Mark Francis.

8:14 My thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigue and Good times.