Kate was caught making an unexpectedly flirty comment about William's beard

The Prince and Princess of Wales have notoriously steered away from PDA during their time as working royals, but in recent years the couple has appeared much more relaxed about sharing sweet moments in public. Although their decision not to hold hands is said to be 'deliberate', they have become noticeably more tactile and every now and then their quietly flirty behaviour goes viral.

Last weekend, Kate attended two royal engagements - the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday, and the Cenotaph memorial on Sunday. During the latter, she stood on the balcony alongside Sophie Wessex, who has been called her 'royal sister'. Despite being a sombre event, the pair were seen quietly exchanging words and at one point also shared a laugh.

Professional lip reader Nicola Hickling spoke to The Sun about what she believes the Princess of Wales said to Sophie on the balcony, and it was reportedly about William's new look. She told the publication that Sophie had asked Kate, "You like a beard?" and that Kate responded by saying: "I find it quite rousing." The pair laughed as Sophie reportedly replied, "You're all better now!"

The Prince's facial hair has been an interesting topic of conversation between royal experts and fans recently, and although the late Queen Elizabeth II was famously disparaging of men in the family sporting beards, insiders have claimed it's a royally significant nod to his future as King. But a second lip reader, Kayleigh Harris, told the paper that Kate said that his beard is 'never quite rounded' as opposed to referring to it as 'rousing'. In response, Harris says Sophie replied that 'it's a lot better now'.

If the lip readers are accurate, it would be the first comment from Kate about William's stubble. The Prince himself has addressed the interest in his royal beard while talking to journalists in Cape Town, where he admitted that his daughter, Princess Charlotte, wasn't a fan of it initially. He said: "Well, Charlotte didn’t like it the first time. I got floods of tears, the first one I got tears, so I had to shave it off. Then I grew it back. I thought, hang on a second, and I convinced her it was going to be okay."

Looks like it's here to stay after all!