The moment Emma Thompson tried to sneak a kiss from Prince William
Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson has received one of Britain’s highest awards and used the opportunity to playfully joke with the second-in-line to the throne, Prince William.
On Wednesday, the Love Actually star was invited to Buckingham Palace to be appointed a Dame Commander of the Oder of the British Empire.
The honour, which is the female equivalent of a knighthood, was made even more special as it was given to her by her long-time friend.
Recalling the ceremony to reporters, Thompson said: “I love Prince William. I’ve known him since he was little, and we just sniggered at each other. I said, ‘I can’t kiss you, can I?’ And he said, ‘No, don’t!'”
Although Thompson didn’t receive a kiss from the prince, she praised the royal father-of-three for all his accomplishments.
“He’s looking wonderful and doing so well,” the actress, who wore sneakers and a suit to the ceremony, commented.
“He said, ‘This day isn’t about me, it’s about you.'”
“It’s really lovely because I’ve always loved the boys, and I’ve always been a long-term correspondent with their dad,” Thompson added.
“It’s a very lovely feeling.”
After Prince Charles went through his divorce with Princess Diana in 1996, Thompson wrote him several letters to lift his spirits.
“I would get periodical messages from the boys that look after him at Highgrove saying: ‘[Could you] drop him a note because he’s a bit low in the water,’ so I’d pick up my pen and write as funny a letter as I could think of,” Thompson revealed in the book Charles: The Heart of a King.