Kate Middleton Offered Subtle ‘Support’ to ‘Anxious’ Prince William During Scarborough Visit

TL;DR: 

• Kate Middleton and Prince William visited Scarborough, England, on Nov. 3. 
• According to a body language expert, Prince William returned to “anxiety rituals” resulting in “non-verbal support” from Kate Middleton. 
• Kate Middleton smiled in a “brief motivational moment” and mirrored Prince William’s movements. 

Support from Kate Middleton. During a November 2022 appearance, the Princess of Wales was there for Prince William in a moment of anxiety. According to a body language expert, Kate offered her husband “non-verbal support” ranging from eye contact to a warm smile.

Prince William returned to ‘anxiety rituals’ during Scarborough visit with Kate Middleton

The Prince and Princess of Wales visited Scarborough, England, on Nov. 3. There they met with local organizations who will benefit from the £345,000 — approximately $385,000 — of funding created through a Royal Foundation partnership with the Two Ridings Community Foundation to The Street.

The Prince and Princess of Wales met with various groups of people to learn about the funding’s impact. William offered some brief remarks. However, according to body language expert Judi James, the 40-year-old returned to “anxiety rituals” amid “pressure” from Prince Harry’s Spare memoir and The Crown’s portrayal of Princess Diana.

“As William comes under pressure yet again from both his brother’s upcoming book and the way his mother has been dealt with in The Crown, there is a return to some of his anxiety rituals that had seemed to have vanished recently,” James told the U.K.’s Express. 

She cited how William stepped away from the car upon his and Kate’s arrival as an example. “As he steps from the car here he begins to fiddle with his clothing, even pulling his jacket across in front of his body in a partial barrier gesture,” she said. “He rubs his hands together and he lowers his head slightly.”

Kate Middleton took the lead offering ‘non-verbal support’ and a smile 

As William and Kate began their Scarborough visit, it was the Princess of Wales who appeared to take the lead. “It looks like Kate leading the charge to offer non-verbal support in a display of fondness and unity,” James said. 

Kate’s self-assured air continued with her walk. Her stride appeared “confident and purposeful” with her arms at her sides for the majority of the walk. Meanwhile, William’s arms were moving as he fidgeted. 

James also broke down interactions between William and Kate on their arrival. “There are some words and a moment of eye contact exchanged between the couple as they make their way to their hosts,” she said. 

At one point, Kate offered William a smile and a “warm eye expression” suggesting a “brief motivational moment.”

Kate mirrored William, making William ‘look less anxious’

Additionally, James noted how Kate appeared to do some of the same gestures as William in a body language “ritual” called “mirroring.” The expert shared it’s something Kate used to be seen doing years earlier when William was a “more reluctant spotlight performer.”

On this particular occasion, James noticed how Kate put a “hand over her stomach to match” her husband. Plus, how she later brought her handbag in front of her torso to mimic William’s “partial barrier movements.”

Kate’s mirroring, James explained, “tends to make William’s gestures look less anxious and more deliberate.”

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