Headlines about William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales' appearance at Trooping the Colour offered succor to concerned monarchists, but the optimistic ink didn't tell the real story about the husband and wife. Video footage showed Prince William and Kate Middleton having some chilly interactions, and Kate uttered a phrase fraught with foreboding for their marriage.
Aside from the distracting Eliza Doolittle bow that ruined Kate's Trooping the Colour outfit, she looked every part the princess for her first royal engagement in many months. It was exactly what her supporters needed to see after fretting over her health for so long.
The Daily Mail also tried to assure its readers that her marriage was stronger than ever by describing a brief glance between William and Kate as a "look of love." The royal couple didn't engage with each other much otherwise, however, so the publication had its work cut out for it selling the "happily ever after" narrative.
At one point when William did acknowledge his wife's presence, his exchange with her was also a bit tense, according to Nicola Hickling, founder of LipReader. The lip-reading expert told The List that the couple appeared to have a brief argument on the Buckingham Palace balcony during the RAF flyover. Instead of smoothing things over with William so they could keep calm and carry on, it seems that Kate decided to cut their conversation short with a terse, two-worded response.
