• The German state visit to the U.K. has begun, during which Prince William and Kate Middleton shared a tender PDA moment.
  • Cameras captured William giving Kate a subtle back rub while they viewed a special German exhibit.
  • The Waleses have shown more PDA during recent state visits and banquets—and there’s a reason for that.

The state visit from Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife, Elke Büdenbender, to the U.K. has officially begun—and what would a state visit be without a little PDA between the Waleses? While touring a special German exhibit of German from the Royal Collection in the Green Drawing Room of Windsor Castle, cameras caught a very tender moment between Prince William and Kate Middleton—and yes, you do need to see it for yourself.

Please enjoy the below video, in which you can see Wills giving Kate a subtle back rub while viewing the exhibit. Cuuuute.

This definitely isn’t the first time the royal couple has proudly put their affection on public display during a state visit. Back in July, Will and Kate held hands during the formal welcome organized to mark the start of French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit, which is a pretty rare move for them, tbh.

Kate even touched his lower back, which again—rare!

state visit by the president of the french republic day one
Max Mumby/Indigo//Getty Images
state visit by the president of the french republic day one
Max Mumby/Indigo//Getty Images

Oh, and let’s not forget that sweet and subtle moment of PDA from the state banquet hosted at Windsor Castle back in September, when the Waleses posted a rare photo of themselves holding hands in the dark to their Instagram Stories, captioned, “Behind the Scenes.”

candid scene of a woman in a gown with others in formal attire
@princeandprincessofwales//Instagram

So...what’s with all the recent PDA? As royal biographer Ingrid Seward previously told People, it has a lot to do with Kate’s cancer battle. “William must feel so fortunate that Kate has come through this that he wants to tell the world about that love,” she explained. “It shows the intimacy of them sharing that journey together.”

She added, “They are happy for people to see them be touchy-feely. They’re in a different phase of their life now. William is very protective and very proud of her for coming through this and carrying on with her life.”