Kate Middleton, Prince William's 'It couple' video goes viral on TikTok
The clip was posted by a fan on TikTok on Sunday. Since then, it has received more than 40,000 likes and viewed by over 3,90,000 users on the social media platform.
It features multiple shots from the early moments in their relationship and the time when they got married. It starts with the footage of Prince William and Kate's graduation ceremony from the University of St Andrews in 2005. The two of them reportedly met each other while studying at the university in Scotland.
Alongside the video, the caption in the post read, "POV: you both were the IT couple in the 2000s."
Viewers can hear "William Wales" being called as the Prince went ahead to receive his undergraduate degree, the report said.
Thereafter, the viral clip continues with him leading Kate through the corridors of the Central Flying School at Royal Air Force Cranwell. He received his RAF wings at this venue on April 11, 2008.
Another footage features William at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst "Sovereign's Parade" in 2007.
Earlier, Royal family author Robert Jobson talked about this time in the couple's relationship in his book, Catherine: A Biography.
"In William's company, she danced at the trendiest clubs and enjoyed the VIP treatment that came with dating a prince," he wrote in the book, according to Newsweek.
He shared that William's armed Scotland Yard protection officers ensured "minimal fuss" by dealing with the paparazzi, adding that Kate remained "unfazed by the trappings of royalty".
The author claimed that she loved him for who he was and not his royal rank.
In the comments section of the post, several TikTok users expressed their views on the couple, with one stating that William made the "best decision" in life when he got married to Kate.
Another added, "They are destined for each other, so glad she's the future queen, very respectful."
The couple tied the knot in April 2011.
They have three kids – George, Charlotte and Louis.
He is the eldest son of King Charles III and Diana.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Influencer sobs on camera, goes viral for blaming ChatGPT for failed Puerto Rico trip
A Spanish influencer couple went viral for all the wrong reasons this week after they missed their flight to Puerto Rico because of a visa mix-up, which they blamed on ChatGPT. In a viral TikTok video, Mery Caldass filmed herself in tears inside an airport as her boyfriend, Alejandro Cid, consoled her, and she went on a sobbing rant against AI. In a viral TikTok video, Mery Caldass filmed herself in tears inside an airport as her boyfriend, Alejandro Cid, consoled her.(TikTok/merycaldass) 'Look, I always do a lot of research, but I asked ChatGPT and they said no,' she said in Spanish, referring to whether the couple needed a visa to visit Puerto Rico to watch artist Bad Bunny perform. She added that AI told them that they did not require a visa, but failed to warn that they do need an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) to go to Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, the couple did not fact-check the AI answer. 'I don't trust that one anymore because sometimes I insult him. I call him a b*****d, you're useless, but inform me well … that's his revenge," she joked, claiming that the chatbot held a grudge against her. Social media users, however, blamed the couple for not cross-checking the facts and depending only on AI. "If you are going to take a transoceanic trip and you put all your advice in ChatGPT, little has happened to you," said one of them. Another added, 'But who trusts ChatGPT for those types of situations?' Commenters defended ChatGPT, claiming that the couple may have asked if they needed a visa, which they didn't, but they never asked about an ESTA.
Hindustan Times
5 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
With the Bayeux Tapestry that tells of their long rivalry, France and Britain are making nice
BAYEUX, France — For centuries, the storytelling masterpiece has been a source of wonder and fascination. In vivid and gruesome detail, the 70-meter embroidered cloth recounts how a fierce duke from France conquered England in 1066, reshaping British and European history. With the Bayeux Tapestry that tells of their long rivalry, France and Britain are making nice The Bayeux Tapestry, with its scenes of sword-wielding knights in ferocious combat and King Harold of England's famous death, pierced by an arrow to an eye, has since the 11th century served as a sobering parable of military might, vengeance, betrayal and the complexity of Anglo-French relations, long seeped with blood and rivalry but also affection and cooperation. Now, the medieval forerunner of today's comic strips, commissioned as propaganda for the Normandy duke William known as 'the Conqueror' after he took the English throne from Harold, is being readied for a new narrative mission. Next year, the fragile artistic and historic treasure will be gingerly transported from its museum in Bayeux, Normandy, to star in a blockbuster exhibition in London's British Museum, from September 2026 to July 2027. Its first U.K. outing in almost 1,000 years will testify to the warming latest chapter in ties across the English Channel that chilled with the U.K.'s acrimonous departure from the European Union in 2020. The loan was announced in July when French President Emmanuel Macron became the first EU head of state to pay a state visit to the U.K. since Brexit. Bayeux Museum curator Antoine Verney says the cross-Channel trip will be a home-coming of sorts for the tapestry, because historians widely believe that it was embroidered in England, using woolen threads on linen canvas, and because William's victory at the Battle of Hastings was such a major juncture in English history, seared into the U.K.'s collective consciousness. 'For the British, the date — the only date — that all of them know is 1066,' Verney said in an interview with The Associated Press. Moving an artwork so unwieldy — made from nine pieces of linen fabric stitched together and showing 626 characters, 37 buildings, 41 ships and 202 horses and mules in a total of 58 scenes — is further complicated by its great age and the wear-and-tear of time. 'There is always a risk. The goal is for those risks to be as carefully calculated as possible,' said Verney, the curator. Believed to have been commissioned by Bishop Odo, William the Conqueror's half-brother, to decorate a new cathedral in Bayeux in 1077, the treasure is thought to have remained there, mostly stored in a wooden chest and almost unknown, for seven centuries, surviving the French Revolution, fires and other perils. Since then, only twice is the embroidery known to have been exhibited outside of the Normandy city: Napoleon Bonaparte had it shown off in Paris' Louvre Museum from late 1803 to early 1804. During World War II, it was displayed again in the Louvre in late 1944, after Allied forces that had landed in Normandy on D-Day, th, of that year had fought onward to Paris and liberated it. The work, seen by more than 15 million visitors in its Bayeux museum since 1983, 'has the unique characteristic of being both monumental and very fragile,' Verney said. 'The textile fibers are 900 years old. So they have naturally degraded simply due to age. But at the same time, this is a work that has already traveled extensively and been handled a great deal.' During the treasure's stay in the U.K., its museum in Bayeux will be getting a major facelift costing tens of millions of euros . The doors will close to visitors from Sept. 1 this year, with reopening planned for October 2027, when the embroidery will be re-housed in a new building, encased on an inclined 70-meter long table that Verney said will totally transform the viewing experience. How, exactly, the treasure will be transported to the U.K. isn't yet clear. 'The studies required to allow its transfer to London and its exhibition at the British Museum are not finished, are under discussion, and are being carried out between the two governments,' Verney said. But he expressed confidence that it will be in safe hands. 'How can one imagine, in my view, that the British Museum would risk damaging, through the exhibition, this work that is a major element of a shared heritage?' he asked. 'I don't believe that the British could take risks that would endanger this major element of art history and of world heritage.' Leicester reported from Paris. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hans India
8 hours ago
- Hans India
Cultural appropriation in Bharat: The Gen Z reality check and Gen Alpha warning
In the globalised and hyper-connected world, we live in, culture travels at the speed of Wi-Fi. What once took centuries to exchange through migration, trade, or conquest now takes a viral video and a trending hashtag. Bharat, with its millennia-old traditions, diverse ethnic identities, and vibrant art forms, stands at the crossroads of a cultural renaissance and a cultural crisis. The crisis? Cultural appropriation. It's not just about foreign brands copying Indian designs for profit, or Bollywood 'borrowing' from regional folk traditions without credit. It's also about how our own younger generations especially Gen Z and the emerging Gen Alpha are engaging with, reshaping, and sometimes distorting what culture even means. What Exactly is Cultural Appropriation? In simple terms, cultural appropriation is when elements of a culture often a minority or indigenous one are taken out of context by someone from outside that culture, often without permission or respect, and used for personal gain, entertainment, or fashion. In Bharat's case, it might look like: • A luxury fashion label selling 'Bindis' as exotic forehead jewellery with no mention of their religious or social symbolism. • A viral TikTok dance set to a devotional song, stripped of its sacred meaning. • International brands mass-producing 'yoga pants' without acknowledging yoga's deep philosophical roots. • Festivals like Holi being reduced to 'colour parties' with zero connection to their origin in the victory of good over evil. Why This Hits Bharat Hard Bharat has a civilisational space where traditions are woven into daily life. From the way we greet each other (Namaste) to the way we tie our turbans, every practice has layers of history, philosophy, and identity. When these elements are lifted out of context and placed into a Western or commercial framework, they risk becoming aesthetic without essence. For communities whose cultural expressions are part of their dignity and economy, this isn't just disrespect; it's economic erasure. Gen Z: The Double-Edged Sword Gen Z in Bharat is uniquely positioned with their digital natives, globally connected, politically vocal, and often the first to call out injustice. Many have championed causes like #VocalForLocal, revived handloom movements, and embraced indie music rooted in folk traditions. They can spot a fake 'Indian' aesthetic on an influencer's feed in seconds and call it out. But here's the twist: the same Gen Z also consumes culture in bite-sized, algorithm-driven formats. In the race for relevance, even they sometimes reduce centuries-old traditions into 'Instagrammable' moments. • Wearing a kurta only for 'ethnic day' at the office, not understanding the textile story behind it. • Posting rangoli pictures without knowing its symbolism in welcoming prosperity. • Using Sanskrit shlokas as captions for aesthetic appeal without understanding the meaning. They might not be intentionally disrespectful but intent doesn't erase impact. If Gen Z doesn't dig deeper, their well-meaning sharing still risks turning culture into a surface-level commodity. Gen Alpha: The Distortion Generation? If Gen Z lives online, Gen Alpha will be online. Born after 2010, they are growing up in a world where AI can remix a Bharatanatyam performance into a Fortnite dance, where ChatGPT-like tools can rewrite a Ramayana story into a sci-fi fanfic in seconds, and where the first exposure to 'culture' might come from an influencer's content instead of grandparents' stories. For them, cultural memory will be mediated through technology first and that's where distortion becomes dangerous. Imagine: • An AI-generated 'fusion garba' video that goes viral but erases the dance's devotional roots. • Kids learning about Holi through a YouTube ad that markets it as 'India's Summer Paint Festival.' • Regional folk songs turned into meme templates, stripped of language and meaning. The risk isn't just appropriation by outsiders it's self-appropriation, where we distort our own culture for clicks, without realising what's being lost. Cultural Appropriation vs Cultural Exchange Some may argue: isn't sharing culture a good thing? Isn't the global popularity of yoga or Bollywood proof of Bharat's soft power? Yes, but sharing and stealing are not the same. • Cultural Exchange:Mutual respect, collaboration, and credit. Example: a Japanese musician learning sitar from an Bharatiya guru and acknowledging the tradition. • Cultural Appropriation:One-way extraction without context or credit. Example: a pop star using sitar sounds in a hit song and calling it 'oriental vibes.' For Bharat, the line is crossed when the communities that created and sustained these traditions are excluded from the recognition, profit, and representation. The Economics of Appropriation Appropriation is about livelihoods, Bharat's handicrafts, handlooms, performing arts, and festivals employ millions. When a multinational copies a Warli painting for a t-shirt line without credit, it's not only disrespecting the tribeit's undercutting their income. Gen Z's purchasing power can change this. Choosing original creators over knock-offs, supporting local artisans through platforms like India Handmade, and making 'authenticity' a personal style statement can hit cultural theft where it hurts — the bottom line. Gen Z as Cultural Gatekeepers If Gen Z steps up, they can become the firewall that protects Bharat's cultural integrity before Gen Alpha inherits a distorted version. Here's how: 1. Credit the Source –Whether it's a dance move, a recipe, or a design, always acknowledge its origin. 2. Educate Through Content –Pair the aesthetic with the authentic; make cultural knowledge go as viral as the look. 3. Call Out Misuse –Use the same social media activism energy to challenge brands or influencers who misappropriate. 4. Support the Custodians –Buy from artisans, attend local performances, and amplify voices from the source communities. 5. Document, Don't Just Display –Record elders' stories, regional dialects, and rituals; make the record as valuable as the reel. Bharat's culture has survived invasions, colonisation, and globalisation. The threat of self-inflicted erasure through careless appropriation is one it has never faced at this scale. If we are to ensure that the next generations inherit not just the image of Bharat but the essence of Bharat, the work must begin today with a hashtag included. (The writer is a Creative Economy Expert)
