Prince William teases Kate Middleton as she fumbles during friendly contest

Prince William and Princess Kate’s playful rivalry shone through once again during their recent visit to Scotland.

On Thursday, May 23, the Prince and Princess of Wales visited Glasgow for the official naming ceremony of HMS Glasgow, the first of eight Type 26 anti-submarine frigates. As the vessel’s sponsor, Kate Middleton kicked off the ceremony by smashing a special bottle of whisky against the ships’ hull to cheers from the crowd.

But it was their lighthearted competition at a nearby training centre that stole the show.

While meeting BAE Systems staff and apprentices, the royals were challenged to connect copper piping as part of a STEM task. And Kate came out on top.

That is, until one of her pipes fell just as she celebrated the win.

The moment had Kate in stitches, laughing as she caught the loose pipe mid-fall. William, standing across the table, teased her with a grin: “Perfectly timed.”

Earlier, the future king had joked, “It’s a race? That’s fine, then I’ll race,” after realsing they were meant to be competing. 

Apprentice Natalie Black, who guided Kate through the activity, shared a sweet behind-the-scenes moment. 

“We had a little discussion about what her kids get up to, and I complimented her on how well she was doing up the bolts and she said it was just like playing with the kids’ toys.”