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Prince William‘s wife, the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton), wowed many royal fans in early June when she donned two beautiful gowns and accessories at the wedding of Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein and Saudi Arabian architect Rajwa Al-Saif. But a few days later she totally dressed down when she visited the Maidenhead Rugby Club in honor of the Shaping Us campaign.

Now, two body language experts are discussing the princess’s toned-down outfit and explaining what kind of message she was sending and how she “shows a genuine lack of inhibitions.”

Kate Middleton, whose body language was analyzed at Maidenhead Rugby Club, takes part in a game of walking touch rugby
Kate Middleton, whose body language was analyzed at Maidenhead Rugby Club, takes part in a game of walking touch rugby | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Expert says Kate sent a ‘message out to the world’ with her outfit

Body language and behavioral expert Darren Stanton shared his thoughts on Kate’s visit as she took part in rugby drills and the message she conveyed with the outfit she chose to wear for the event.

Speaking on behalf of Betfair Bingo Stanton said: “Clothes are important as they send messages out to the world from a non-verbal aspect. Kate wearing an England rugby top and fitted trousers for this particular engagement is definitely an attempt to build a connection to the people that she was visiting. She wanted to be the same as them, which enabled her to build an even deeper sense of rapport.”

He added: “In terms of body language, Kate came across very confident as she attended the event. She didn’t rely on her normal superhero colors of red or blues and had a great level of self-assurance. It was almost like she had her own force field of confidence around her.

Kate Middleton takes part in drills during her visit to Maidenhead Rugby Club
Kate Middleton takes part in drills during her visit to Maidenhead Rugby Club | Chris Jackson/Getty Images

“Kate also showed great confidence whilst playing rugby. Kate demonstrated that she’s prepared to get her hands dirty and isn’t precious about her title or position. She clearly wants to be perceived as a genuine and authentic person. She also displayed a genuine smile throughout the event. With Kate, I have never seen her mask emotions with anyone that she speaks to. We saw the same confident Kate, with lots of open palm gestures, genuine smiles, and authentic body language, which matched and mirrored the posture of those she was talking to. This demonstrates a deep trust, rapport, and respect.” 

Another expert notices that the princess shows ‘a genuine lack of inhibitions’

Another body language expert, Judi James, spoke to Express about the princess’s “lack of inhibitions” during her visit.

She explained: “Kate’s body language shows a genuine lack of inhibitions and shyness. Her eye expression shows an intense focus on competing properly and doing well. She rarely if ever adds any self-effacing rituals to suggest she will be less than successful and every movement, from her wide stride running to the way she stretches all her limbs out as she jumps, suggests she goes back into her pre-royal state when she was loving doing sport during her university days.”

Kate Middleton hugs a player during her visit to Maidenhead Rugby Club
Kate Middleton hugs a player during her visit to Maidenhead Rugby Club | Samir Hussein/WireImage
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James continued: “There are no signs here that this is just a ‘princess’ behavior that will naturally stop when she is queen, either. As an integral part of who she is and how she wants to be seen, the expectation should be that we will have the first queen to be actively sporty not just in private but during her royal duties, too.”

Both experts believe that Kate’s “willingness to get her hands dirty” and “wanting to connect with people and helping them feel at ease” are some of the things that make her so similar to Princess Diana.

Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.