William and Kate's surprisingly flirty Baftas moment is going viral

The celebrities were out in force last night for the Baftas, with the likes of Austin Butler and Cate Blanchett taking home two of the most coveted awards. 

A-listers gathered in London and graced the Baftas red carpet, with many of the stars wearing symbolic blue ribbons, but it was Prince William and Kate Middleton's appearance that excited royal fans as the couple have not attended the award show for the last two years. 

While they are usually regulars at the glitzy ceremony, the Prince and Princess of Wales have not attended since 2020. In 2021, they pulled out of the event following the death of Prince Philip, and in 2022 they were unable to attend due to diary constraints. 

However, making their debut at the Baftas as the newly-titled Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate took to the red carpet - and royal fans enjoyed seeing the couple sharing a few sweet moments together as they entered the venue. 

They surprised viewers with their tactile behaviour, as a flirty gesture between them was caught on camera and is now going viral.

Kate recycled the stunning one-shoulder white Alexander McQueen dress that she wore for the Baftas in 2019, adding a floaty bow in place of its former rouched detailing and teaming it with long black gloves and statement gold earrings. 

On their way into the Royal Festival Hall, Kate subtly went to hold William's hand as they were smiling and chatting, and when he realised he gently touched her shoulder and leant towards her. 

But it's a clip of Kate giving William 'a little love pat' (as one Twitter user called it) that has been circulating on the internet.

As the pair walk along the red carpet, Kate playfully taps William from behind as the pair laugh and smile. 

Royal experts have previously spoken about why the Wales' usually avoid public displays of affection, with body language expert Darren Stanton saying: "[Kate] and William are a pair that appear so connected on a deeper level that they don’t need to be showing continuous signs of reciprocal liking - like tactileness or prolonged eye contact - during public outings to prove they have a deep connection."