Royal banter: Catherine takes cheeky swipe at William’s posh accent in new video

They’ve been married for 10 years now, but the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge still know how to have fun together. The royal couple released a new video this week to mark the launch of their official Youtube channel, and showed off their playful rapport in a series of candid moments caught on camera.

The short clip is meant to showcase the couple’s work around the world but it was the off-script moments that really won fans over. The video opens with a shot of the royals sitting side by side on a couch together, clearly in the middle of a lively conversation. William then turns to his wife and jokingly warns her to be careful what she says next because the cameras have started rolling.

Later, the pair are rehearsing lines for a speech they’re delivering when Catherine, with a bemused look on her face, cheekily tells William to stop rolling his R’s when he talks, making light of his posh accent. The royals traditionally have a very distinct accent known as received pronunciation that favours elongated vowels and a clipped edge, born from their German ancestors.

However, many of the younger royals – including William and his brother Prince Harry – have modernised their accent and naturally adopted what’s known as Estuary English – an accent usually found in areas along the River Thames and its estuary, including London. It’s a fairly common accent among Londoners nowadays, and something the young men likely picked up while at school.

It’s the second video the Cambridges have released in as many weeks. Last Friday, the couple gave fans a glimpse of their lives behind palace walls in a new home video featuring their three children, Prince George, 7, Princess Charlotte, 6, and Prince Louis, 3.

The picture-perfect video includes snippets of the family enjoying a day at the beach, running through grassy fields together and roasting marshmallows over a campfire. It was released to mark William and Catherine’s 10-year wedding anniversary and gave the world an insider look at the Cambridges’ family life and the kind of parents the future king and queen are striving to be.