Prince William & Kate Middleton 'Have Grown Closer & Learned To Enjoy Life Openly,' Body Language Expert Says About The Couple's New Portraits
April 29 2021, Published 12:03 p.m. ET
While some couples may grow apart over time, the opposite has happened for Kate Middleton and Prince William, a body language expert reveals.
On April 28, the royal couple released two new portraits ahead of their 10th wedding anniversary. In the pictures, the pair were photographed cuddling and smiling.
Body language expert Judi James detailed how they have grown and compared the new portraits to their engagement portrait in 2010.
"One of the greatest 'tells' in terms of body language is the effect someone's non-verbal signals has on their audience," James told The Mirror.
Prince William and Kate Middleton in a portrait released to celebrate their engagement in 2010
"It's often how we feel as we look at a pose that is the most revealing factor, and it's this 'projection effect' that is the most telling as we get to take a long look at William and Kate's 'before-and-after' poses on their 10th anniversary."
She continued, "In the early photos we can see a couple looking excited and in love, whether they're snuggling up using head closeness to signal cute levels of affection or following royal tradition with a much more formal look that is all about elegant sophistication and high status."
"The couple look blissfully happy together but rather distanced from the audience. William's mouth-smile is wide but his eyes look slightly wary, not of Kate but of the camera and the attention. There is a rigidity of arm and hand positioning that suggests William will be pleased when the session is over and he has Kate to himself again," she added.
"For a man so desperate to avoid all the problems that dogged his mother and her marriage, William looks cautious here and careful to do his royal duty but mindful that inviting interest can result in a payback. It’s a couple you would like and admire, but from a respectful distance."
In the new portraits, William and Kate look happier than ever, James noted.
"The couple in the most recent photos though are people you'd want in your social bubble, popping in for drinks around the BBQ," she said. "Happy and incredibly relaxed together, they look like they'd be the best fun. Some couples grow apart during a decade of marriage but William and Kate's body language suggests they have grown closer and learned to enjoy life openly and with confidence."
Prince William and Kate Middleton in portraits released to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary
"The biggest change is in William who seems to have stepped off his royal pedestal to smile in what looks like relief (and even disbelief) that he chose so well and is now sharing his life and his royal destiny with a perfect match for both himself and his country," she stated. "His wary eye expression has gone and instead his eyes narrow so much in happiness as he looks straight at the camera that we can barely see the pupils. William is now sharing the fun and sharing the sight of his love with everyone and that has a much more inclusive effect on us, the audience."
When analyzing the new portraits, James pointed out that the two seem to be in a great place in their lives. "Ten years ago they looked in love and Kate’s smile showed excitement at the thought of the wedding. Now they look in love and in the middle of a life of shared, playful fun where William has been able to drop his reserve and his ego and enjoy the fact that he and Kate are a solid working team as well as a mutual support system," James said.
"We now see a much more confident Kate who looks comfortable in her currently high-powered role in the Firm and we can see William gazing at her with an expression of something bordering on awe, showing us nothing but respect between them, with no trace of jealousy or battles for the spotlight," she concluded. "Once they looked stunning together, now they still stun but they also look real and super-relaxed."
