Why this down to earth video of the Duchess of Cambridge is going viral

"What could go wrong?"

It's been a busy month for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Between the new school term, the launch of Kate's Hold Still photography book, and a starry appearance on the red carpet in the pipeline, we can hardly keep up with the royal couple.

And while we've come to expect the unexpected when it comes to William and Kate's varied schedule (read: that time William went undercover at MI5), we weren't quite prepared for how un-royal Kate's latest endeavour was – and nor, it seems, were the people of the internet.

What was it, you ask?

Oh, just a casual bit of abseiling down a cliff face.

Yep, in a clip posted to the Cambridge Instagram account, the duchess is seen mucking in with the Air Cadets as she mountain bikes through Lake Windermere and abseils down some rocks.

In the now-viral video, Kate displayed her sense of humour, quipping, "What could go wrong?" before biking through rough terrain and chatting with the young cadets.

Apparently unfazed by the terrifying task of abseiling down a rock face, the Duchess called it a "very cool" experience.

"Acting member of the Air Cadets today! Having re-opened the RAF Air Cadets’ Windermere Training Centre here in the lake district, The Duchess joined a group of Air Cadets to test the outdoor terrain!" the post's caption read. "These outdoor activities, alongside various other trainings, allows them to build their confidence and leadership skills for future years."

Kate, who is an Honorary Air Commandant of the Royal Air Force Air Cadets, spoke to the teenagers about the activities they'd taken part in and how the pandemic had affected their mental health.

13-year-old Itelouwa Odipe spoke to the duchess while she waited to try abseiling, telling the Independent, "She was about to abseil and I was next in line so she asked me if I wanted to go before her. I was a bit scared so I said no. She said if I did she would meet me down there."

When the teenager decided not to abseil, the duchess told him her own experience "was really good and I should try it".

"I think she was very kind," the young cadet added. "Even though she is a royal highness she still does things normal humans do."

How sweet is that?