Kate Middleton’s Increased ‘Hug Rate’ Means She Has to Do ‘Very Complex Reading’ of People, According to Body Language Expert
TL;DR:
- A body language expert says Kate Middleton appears to have increased her “hug rate.”
- As a result, Kate Middleton has to do “some very complex reading of the people she meets.”
- It “involves a change of ritual depending on who” Kate Middleton’s meeting.
A body language expert says hugs from Kate Middleton are more common, seemingly due to claims from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. However, it can be tricky when the Princess of Wales is greeting different people.
Kate Middleton’s ‘social ‘formality’’ hints at a potential ‘desire to check’ people’s ‘preferences’ on hugs
“It would be a shame if Kate were stung by comments about her greeting rituals in Harry’s book,” body language expert Judi James told Express. “But her behavioural [sic] changes since the publicity for Spare suggests that she might have felt under pressure to disprove them.”
“In the UK, our greetings can tend to be less tactile on first meetings,” she explained. “And there are many people who dislike hugging or any tactile approach altogether. We generally tend to not throw ourselves at strangers but to add warmth by degrees, which is often seen as appearing more authentic.”
“So Kate’s social ‘formality’ was probably better viewed as a behavioural [sic] norm that would probably have been encouraged during her induction into royal life,” she continued. Not necessarily “a sign of inner coldness.”
“It can also suggest a desire to check the preferences of the people she is meeting,’ James said. “Rather than assuming everyone she meets craves a hug. Kate’s recent outings do seem to suggest that she has upped her hug rate though.”
Kate has much to consider before embracing someone: clothing, ‘announcement signals,’ and the hug ‘problem’
Hugging may not seem like a complicated gesture. Although, according to James, it can be. Especially for Kate.
“Doing this involves some very complex reading of the people she meets as not everyone wants an impromptu hug, even from a royal,” the expert said. To that end, Kate has to convey she’s up for a hug.
“She will need to use some announcement signals first, or to show she is comfortable accepting a hug someone else might be offering,” James said.
Another consideration is her “style of dress” because “not all royal formal wear lends itself to leaning and hugging.” Additionally, hugs can bring about a “problem” Kate’s sister-in-law, the Duchess of Sussex, “might not have been aware of.”
“As [Princess] Diana found out, once you are known as a royal who hugs everyone will want or expect a hug and this can cut into time on visits and walkabouts,” she said.
Kate Middleton’s ‘new approach to hugging’ means ‘a change of ritual’
Compared to other greetings, such as handshakes or a kiss on the cheek, hugs are, per the expert, a little trickier. As in, the hugs Kate dishes out aren’t necessarily identical.
“Kate’s new approach to hugging looks enthusiastic and it involves a change of ritual depending on who she is meeting,” James said. “It might look a little awkward but so do most public hugs with people you might not have seen for a long time or people you are meeting for the first time.”
A recap of some of Kate’s recent hugs demonstrated the 41-year-old switches them up. “When Kate hugs her old teacher in Cornwall her delight is obvious,” James said of the “two-arm” embrace.
Whereas, during a visit to the English town of Derby, Kate did a “very even-status hug” with a “kind of face-to-face double arm clasp that allows for conversation as well as signals of closeness.
Whereas, when hugging a child in Wales, Kate did one of her signature moves. She got “right to ground level” to offer a “sweet hug” highlighting her “very relaxed and natural approach with children.”
Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
