'Awkward' moment between William and Kate sends royal fans into a tizz

A candid moment between the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has sent Twitter into overdrive, prompting some royal fans to convince themselves (and one another) there is possibly 'trouble in paradise' for the couple.

During the BBC special A Berry Royal Christmas, which aired in the UK on Monday, Prince William and Kate Middleton were accompanied by celebrity chef Mary Berry on a series of royal engagements.

The trio also cooked festive meals together to thank those volunteering with charities over the holidays.

It was a brief moment during this Christmas party, while the Duke and Duchess were sitting and chatting to a group of people, that got fans talking.

During an animated discussion, William placed his hand on Kate's shoulder, with the duchess quickly twisting her body away.

The interaction was noticed by viewers and shared onto Twitter, with hundreds of people commenting that the duchess had "shrugged" away her husband's touch in an "awkward" display.

Some even speculated it was a sign of a rift in the couple's relationship.

"She definitely shrugged it off kinda sad actually he made the effort and it could have been a lovely moment," wrote one Twitter user.

"Surprised they didn't edit that out somehow. [Have] to believe they could have right? Or pan to a [different] angle? They had to [know] that shot would cause chatter," wondered another.

"Very awkward no matter how people try to spin it," suggested a third.

Not everyone was buying into the hype, with one person reasoning there was nothing more to the moment than an animated conversation.

"On second glance I see him saying something to her as he touched her shoulder and she playfully moved away swirled a little in her seat and then refocused on the conversation," they wrote.

"Notice there's no undertones in her expression or eyes and she didn't move her whole body away."