A picture is worth a thousand words, and a picture of a princess might be even more valuable. These
are some of the ways Kate Middleton has managed to say it all, even when she's not saying anything.
Princess Catherine delights the public with more than just her royal persona.
Her commitment to being a dutiful mother to Prince George, Princess Charlotte,
and Prince Louis {LOO-ee} is always on display when the family steps out together.
Though body language experts have described her parenting style as hands-on, they have
also noted that Catherine isn't reluctant to let her little brood explore on their own. The world
got a peek into this empowering royal dynamic at King Charles III's {"the third's"} coronation
in 2023, when Charlotte and Louis walked hand-in-hand behind their mother unattended.
Perhaps to reward his behavior at such a crucial event,
body language expert Judi James observed to The Sun that Kate kept
Louis in check with affectionate touches to signify that he did something right
Visuals of the Princess of Wales laughing warmly with her children
and deftly navigating their tantrums have been a part of the public's memory since she first
became a mother in 2013. Whether they're at large events or intimate gatherings,
the trio almost always has command over her attention.
As body language expert Blanca Cobb said in Good Housekeeping,
"It's as if she's taking an emotional temperature reading to make sure that everything is alright."
That said, her relaxed body language around her children — marked by gestures like wrapping her
arms only loosely around them — suggests that she is very encouraging of their independence.
It's hard to pinpoint when exactly things went south between Princess Catherine and
Meghan Markle. By late 2018, The Telegraph had raised suspicion over their relationship being
on the outs, but the sisters-in-law were spotted engaging amicably on many occasions thereafter.
Tensions between Harry, William, Kate, and Meghan were often credited to the
distance that grew between the royal brothers, and that tension
only escalated as Harry and Meghan made their exit from the royal family in 2020.
"I've had to make peace with the fact that I'm probably never gonna
get genuine accountability or a genuine apology."
While the initial conflict may have been between Harry and William, Kate and Meghan have certainly
chosen their own sides in the feud. The friction between the in-laws was on bold display in 2022
when Meghan flew down from the United States to attend Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in London.
Body language experts picked up on moments where Catherine apparently tried to, quote,
"freeze out" Meghan. As one expert told 7News,
"On numerous occasions Meghan looked over at Kate, however, the gaze wasn't reciprocated."
What's more, the characteristically confident Meghan didn't seem to be in top form while meeting
mourners at Windsor Castle. She reportedly turned herself away from Kate's direction,
avoiding angry looks from the Princess of Wales.
Expert observers report that Princess Catherine is no stranger to throwing
intense glares. Looking at photos taken during their 2017 Warsaw trip,
longtime royal commentator Judi James told the Daily Express that there are even photos of
Kate staring down her own husband. Clearly, even royals are capable of having bad days.
Mirroring each other's actions is a universal love language between couples,
and whether they realize it or not, Princess Catherine and Prince William have exhibited
matching gestures on several occasions. One of the earliest times royal fans noticed this
tendency was in 2015 at the opening ceremony for the Rugby World Cup, where the pair sported
identical postures, complete with the same hand clasps and very similar open-mouthed smiles.
Additionally, at the event, Wiliiam and Kate each sported a hand clutched near the bottom
of their torso. This position is commonly known as the fig leaf pose, and it doesn't exactly
scream confidence. It's a stance William has been known to take often, and Catherine occasionally
mirrors it during the couple's public outings. According to pro royal commentator Judi James,
Catherine's mirroring likely comes from marital sentiment. She told The Sun,
"The way she mimics his pose and makes it look much more elegant and
less anxious helps to make William look less defensive or barriered by proxy."
Though their paths never crossed, it's easy to draw parallels between Princess Diana and
Princess Catherine. Catherine joined the British royal family 30 years after Diana did, but she has
still managed to echo her mother-in-law's personality in many ways in her absence.
One of their similarities is how willing Kate is to let her stately guard down and play. At a 2023
Royal appearance in Bath, Kate was delighted to get her hands dirty and play some outdoor
games with the children in attendance. As body language expert Darren Stanton told The Mirror,
choices like this show that Kate doesn't always take herself too seriously, and she's just as
capable of having a relaxing time as anyone else. Such friendly spontaneity was typical of Diana,
whose congeniality with the public earned her the fond nickname "the people's princess."
While their legacies officially converged in 2022,
with Catherine stepping into Diana's former role as Princess of Wales,
they had also been bound together by their similar parenting styles for years before.
Diana was a doting mother to Princes Harry and William, and when he and Catherine had children,
Catherine mirrored her mother-in-law's parenting style by bending down to talk
to her children. As body language expert Patti Wood told Good Housekeeping, leveling
yourself with your child is an effective way of communicating that you see them as an equal.
"I always remember her laugh, her cheeky laugh.
Her always saying to me, like, 'You can get in trouble just don't get caught."
Princess Catherine enjoyed the rare privilege of being a part of Queen Elizabeth's inner
circle for over a decade after she married William. The late monarch was apparently on
good terms with her granddaughter-in-law, as the two would often be seen laughing together.
One of the most famous exhibits of their amiable relationship came early on in Catherine's tenure
as the Duchess of Cambridge. In 2012, she accompanied the queen to Nottingham for a
Diamond Jubilee commemoration. Sat side by side, Catherine and Elizabeth laughed
heartily in each other's company. Despite their evident comfort around one another,
Catherine still maintained a respectful bearing beside the queen. As Blanca Cobb told Edit Daily,
"Kate's body language is closed with her arms by her sides and her hands clasped,
which shows deference to the Queen."
As a future queen, Catherine made judicious use of her private time with her husband's grandmother,
imbibing priceless advice from Britain's longest-reigning monarch. Their chats went
beyond informal tea times, with a source telling Us Weekly that the pair often
discussed their responsibilities as royalty and the trajectory of the monarchy's future.
The queen's mentorship was likely worthwhile, as body language experts
have observed that Catherine adopted many of the same social cues as Elizabeth,
such as her enduring public poise and her excellent eye contact during conversations.
Since she became the Princess of Wales, Catherine's demeanor has
blossomed with fresh confidence. As Judy James told the Daily Express,
"She is now at something of a peak in terms of sending out signals, which suggests she now not
only fully embraces and understands her role, but that she feels comfortable in it, too."
Despite the immense pressure of being just one title removed from queen,
it seems the weight of her new responsibilities has yet to pull her down. Throughout her time
as Princess of Wales, Kate has presented herself at official engagements and public
appearances with greater flair and self-assuredness than ever before.
What's more, Prince William seems to have fully embraced
his wife's forward-looking power. After the couple's visit to Birmingham in 2023,
YouTuber The Royal Rogue noted that William opted to only loosely grab
Catherine's waist instead of placing his palm on her back as he had often done previously.
He went on to elaborate that touching someone's back is a sign of comfort and support,
and it's possible that William's choice to take a looser hold of his wife might
suggest he sees her as more independently suited for her public role than he once did.
Princess Catherine loses no opportunity to enjoy quality time with her children — even
during grand royal celebrations like Trooping the Colour. Though the annual
ceremony has found a star attraction in Prince Louis, who has kept audiences enthralled with
his audaciously goofy expressions at the event two years in a row now,
it has also offered great scope for people to watch Catherine in action as a doting mom.
As one body language expert told Maire Claire in 2023, she looked particularly proud when
her youngest child aired-drummed along to the band at the 2023 ceremony. Though
the Princess of Wales did use certain signals to keep her children in check,
she remained largely unruffled and was committed to keeping up the little ones' enthusiasm.
Out on the balcony, where 5-year-old Louis usually stages his antics, Catherine was joined by her
husband in giving their children loving smiles and touches to reward their positive attitudes.
This behavior is fairly standard procedure for the Princess these days, as Good Housekeeping
reported her gaze is often fixed on George, Charlotte, and Louis when they're out in public.
Though Princess Catherine usually lives up to her picture-perfect reputation of gentleness,
she is not one to tamp down her authority when the situation calls for it. For example,
on St. Patrick's Day 2023, she took over as the Colonel of the Irish Guards.
Occupying the role that Prince William passed on to her,
Kate made for a stately image in a tailored dress, flaunting her newfound confidence as
Princess of Wales. She presented a demeanor fit for a colonel, with body language expert Darren
Stanton telling Marie Claire she maintained a gallant posture as she inspected the guards.
"It really is a true honor to be your colonel.
I'm here to listen to you, to support you, and to champion you in all you do."
Stanton also pointed out that her choice of a teal outfit was no coincidence either,
given that the princess often leans toward, quote,
"superhero colors" on occasions where she insists on making a statement. He explained,
"It's clear she wanted to stand out from the crowd
and assert her authority over William and the other guests."
This tendency doesn't doesn't come as a surprise, as Mirror reports that Catherine
has been cited as the stronger half of the pair she forms with William. Stanton elaborated that
Catherine rarely appears unnerved when occupying a more authoritative role in
public settings. She displays confidence when meeting people on her own and with William,
and seems perfectly accustomed to accepting bows and other gestures of submission toward her.
Princess Catherine and Princess Charlotte are adding truth to the
saying that mothers and daughters age into friendship. This "turning point" in their
relationship was on vivid display at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which the young
princess attended with her parents. Without her brothers in tow, Charlotte was lavished
with attention from her mother, who was spotted constantly conversing with her.
As expert body language decoder Judi James explained to the Express, Catherine exhibited
some, quote, "very expressive gesticulation" as she attempted to keep her daughter engaged.
James continued that Kate may not need to be so assertive in her interactions with her daughter
in the coming years, as Charlotte appeared to be very interested in the event they were attending.
Charlotte has noticeably begun implementing much of her mother's polite etiquette,
and seems to be taking charge as a confident little lady. A tell-tale sign of Charlotte
looking up to her mother as a mentor is her routine mirroring of the older
princess' actions. As royal correspondent Jennie Bond observed to OK! Magazine,
at recent public appearances Charlotte has seemed perfectly comfortable in the limelight,
which suggests that Kate has provided her daughter a secure and happy childhood thus far.
The alleged bad blood between Meghan Markle and Princess Catherine is fabled to be at the center
of the ongoing royal family feud. However, there was once a time when the sisters-in-law
were the very image of camaraderie. Their first official engagement together was at the Royal
Foundation Forum in 2018, back when Meghan was yet to join the family as Prince Harry's wife.
According to Patti Wood's assessments for Good Housekeeping, the two seemed to be completely at
ease with one another, with some of their behavior even suggesting they had a close bond. One of
the biggest indicators of that was the fact that Meghan seemed to be mirroring Catherine's posture,
giving viewers a sign that she looked up to her soon-to-be sister-in-law.
Though they appeared friendly with each other, their unique dynamic stemming from
Catherine's seniority in the family was hard to miss. During the forum's lighter moments,
Catherine wasn't as conscious about containing her amusement, while a body
language expert observed to Good Housekeeping that Markle seemed noticeably less at ease.
Of course, Meghan and Kate are very different people, and even some of the early conflicts
between the princesses were easily brushed over. Speaking with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan Markle made
it clear one tiff the pair had about her wedding preparations ended with no animosity between them.
"I don't think it's fair to her to get into the details of that, because she apologized —"
"Okay." "— and I've forgiven her."
Their sisterly friendship continued well past the early whispers of a fallout between Princes
William and Harry. For example, when Meghan and Kate interacted at Wimbledon in 2019,
there did not seem to be any tension in their manners, with both royals leaning
toward each other and engaging throughout the game. Blanca Cobb noted to Cosmopolitan that
both their smiles seemed completely earnest, so it may have been months
or years later that the strife between the two royal ladies really took hold.