Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career Money
    • Health Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes amp; Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • NYFW
    • Life In Plastic
    • Cari Champion
    • New Books
    • Postpartum Psychosis
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Princess Kate Delivers Quick-Thinking Response After Prince William Is "Propositioned" by a Royal Fan

    "I'm going to get slapped on the back of the head..."

    Amy Mackelden#039;s avatar
    By Amy Mackelden
    Published 18 April 2026 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Kate Middleton wears a plaid dress and tries to contain her laughter while Prince William says something funny
    (Image credit: Alastair Grant - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Prince William and Princess Kate appear to have a solid marriage, which has helped make them particularly popular amongst royal fans. But according to one report, Princess Kate was forced to respond after one royal fan "propositioned" Prince William in a slightly inappropriate way.

    In 2021, Prince William visited Queen's Bay Lodge Care Home in Edinburgh, Scotland, "where he enjoyed an amusing exchange with 96-year-old Betty Magee," the Liverpool Echo reported.

    According to the outlet, the Prince of Wales relayed the story to actresses Emma Thompson and Emma Stone during a video call, telling them, "I got propositioned by a 96-year-old lady called Betty who wanted to kiss me."

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    At the time, a number of rules were in place as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prince William further explained, "She's in a care home with her daughter and I said, 'Betty, if I do that I'm going to get slapped on the back of the head for inappropriate social distancing.'"

    Princess Kate, Prince William, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and George walking to church on Easter

    "If I do that I'm going to get slapped on the back of the head for inappropriate social distancing."

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    According to William, the royal fan didn't seem to listen to his warnings, as he told Stone and Thompson, "She said, 'I'll have you afterwards then!'...She was a right character!"

    You may like
    • Princess Kate wears a green blazer a Breton striped top and Prince William has a bald head and wears a navy suit William and Kate's "True Feelings" Were on Full Display
    • Prince William Princess Kate dating Royal Editor Reveals the “Sincere” Advice Given To Kate Middleton While Dating Prince William
    • Kate Middleton wears a canary yellow dress with a matching hat to attend Day 2 of Royal Ascot 2026 at Ascot Racecourse on June 17, 2026 How Princess Kate Responded to Being Heckled at Royal Ascot

    Princess Kate was then quick to quip, "This is what happens when I'm not around!"

    Prince William and Princess Kate smiling in front of a waterfront town

    "This is what happens when I'm not around!"

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    American-born Countess of Sandwich, Julie Montagu, recently opened up about what Princess Kate is really like, sharing in a social media post, "Contrary to expectations, meeting the Princess of Wales is often described as surprisingly relaxed and approachable." The countess continued, "Many find her calm, present, and genuinely engaging, dispelling the idea of an intimidating royal encounter."

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    As well as reportedly being extremely calm and welcoming, it's clear that Princess Kate has a great sense of humor, too.

    Explore More
    Princess Catherine Prince William relationships marriage
    Amy Mackelden
    Amy Mackelden
    Social Links Navigation
    Weekend Editor

    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.

    Read more
    Prince William Princess Kate dating
    Royals Royal Editor Reveals the “Sincere” Advice Given To Kate Middleton While Dating Prince William
    By Christine Ross
    Princess Kate Middleton has long wavy brown hair and wears a black polo neck sweater with a brown blazer
    Royals One Royal Has Become "Very Close" to Princess Kate
    By Amy Mackelden
     
     
    Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince George, Prince William, and Princess Kate in Scotland on August 1, 2026
    Royals Princess Kate and Prince William Aren't "Lazy"
    By Amy Mackelden
    Prince Harry,  Meghan Markle, Princess Kate and Prince William walking in a row
    Royals Prince William and Princess Kate Have a "Very Difficult Hill to Climb" With Harry and Meghan
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    Duchess Sophie wearing a lime green dress with a purple sash
    Royals Duchess Sophie Embraces Fall's Unexpected Color Clashing Trend
    A split image of Prince Harry kissing Lilibet and Harry and Lilibet skiing
    Royals Princess Lilibet Shares One of Mom Meghan's Favorite Hobbies
     
     
    Grace Kelly wearing a white dress
    Royals Grace Kelly "Understood Quiet Luxury" Before the Term Was Invented
    Princess Lilibet, Prince Archie and Prince Harry walking through grass at Althorp
    Royals Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet Are Changing Schools After Just 2 Days
     
     
    Latest in News
    collage of the best celebrity looks at the 2026 Toronto Film Festival
    Celebrity Style TIFF 2026's Best-Dressed Stars Are Bringing Their Fashion A-Game to Toronto
    Duchess Sophie wearing a lime green dress with a purple sash
    Royals Duchess Sophie Embraces Fall's Unexpected Color Clashing Trend
     
     
    A split image of Prince Harry kissing Lilibet and Harry and Lilibet skiing
    Royals Princess Lilibet Shares One of Mom Meghan's Favorite Hobbies
    Ayo Edebiri 2026 Emmys red carpet
    Celebrity Style Ayo Edebiri Sticks to Her Winning Red Carpet Formula at the Emmys
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.