William and Kate Do That Balcony Kiss Thing—Twice!

The newlywed royals carry on, and then carry on some more!

By Joal Ryan Apr 29, 2011 12:29 PMTags

They did it. And then they did it again. 

Prince William and Kate Middleton obliged their subjects, chastely kissed on the balcony of Buckingham Palace—and then, two minutes later, chastely kissed again.

So where does the smooch—and bonus smooch—rank among other royal kisses?

Let's just say not even Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson bussed twice

"[And] Andrew and Fergie could not keep their hands off each other," royal expert Angela Rippon told us.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana, William's parents, often get credit for starting the tradition of the so-called balcony or palace kiss. But that fun couple barely kissed once, much less twice.

"It was all rather rushed and self-conscious," Rippon said.

The voyeuristic public, which coerced William and Kate into a second kiss, has a long history of clamouring for lip action.

"At the wedding of Princess Anne to Mark Phillips, the crowds gathered in front of the palace shouted, 'Give her a kiss,'" Rippon said. "Not sure that he did!"

We checked the tape. And, no, he didn't.

So, score one two today for William and Kate. (And for the voyeuristic public.)