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Prince William and Kate Middleton don’t engage in PDA in the same way Prince Harry and Meghan Markle do. A body language expert points out how William and Kate display “romantic micro gestures” in public.

Prince William and Kate Middleton body language was on display when they landed in Boston for a three day tour including the Earthshot Prize Awards
Kate Middleton and Prince William | Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Expert looks at both couple’s body language at recent appearances

In an interview with woman&home, body language expert Judi James provided some insight into how William and Kate approach red carpet appearances compared to Harry and Meghan.

James looked at each couple’s recent appearances and their body language at the events. Harry and Meghan attended the Ripple of Hope gala in New York and William and Kate were at the Earthshot Prize event in Boston in December.

“There is a world of difference in the way William and Kate, and Harry and Meghan perform on the red carpet,” James explained. “But, there are some clear similarities too, especially between the brothers, who will still tend to mirror each other’s more subliminal states of suppressed anxiety and awkwardness.”

James pointed out how the brothers both aren’t comfortable on a red carpet. “Neither men have red carpet posing, which is normally a celebrity ritual with the aim of plugging something or self-publicity, in their DNA,” the expert explained. “Both were bred to see posing up for the cameras as a necessary evil, often something they would do before a family holiday as a trade-off to get some privacy. Royals generally don’t need publicity, they tend to avoid it.”

She added, “This history reflects in the self-comfort partial barrier gestures both men use, with William placing a hand on his stomach and Harry fiddling with his clothing. However, Harry has now become a celebrity with a product to plug and his wider, camera-friendly smiles are rather broader than William’s slightly more bashful ones.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are more open about PDA and William and Kate use ‘micro gestures,’ expert says

James further analyzed how Harry and Meghan are more open with displaying affection publicly.

“William and Kate also lack the relationship narrative in their body language signals as a couple that Harry and Meghan use,” James explained. 

“Harry and Meghan are illustrating and describing their enduring love story for the fans, making their hand-holding and Meghan’s flattering, besotted gazing important,” she noted.

“Kate and William tend to use subtler touches and glances that are more about the tie-signs, i.e. small steering touches and romantic micro gestures rather than featured ones,” James explaine.d

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Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Body Language Shows ‘Telltale Signs’ of ‘a Couple in Love’ During Boston Royal Visit, Expert Says

Kate and Meghan have different ways of connecting with cameras, body language expert shares

The body language expert looked at the way the women connect with cameras.

“The biggest difference though comes from their perceived audience and their connection signals with that audience. Kate will wave to the crowds but then she will hone in on their hosts, chatting while the photos are being taken,” James explained. “She doesn’t work the cameras or court them in the way Meghan does, she just stands and smiles and lets the photographers get their shots.”

Meghan, she said, “has a much closer relationship with cameras thanks to her time as an actress.”

According to James, “When we watch her posing on the red carpet we can see her eyes instinctively working each of the cameras separately to get a good shot with lots of eye connection. She glances back over her shoulder at them and she smiles at them in a much  more direct and personal way.”

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