Prince William and Kate Middleton Weren’t Their ‘Usual A-list Red Carpet’ Selves Stepping out Amid Royal Race Comment Drama, Body Language Expert Says
It was a night out for Prince William and Kate Middleton at the 2023 Royal Variety Performance. The only hiccup turned out to be not a wardrobe malfunction but drama involving Omid Scobie’s new book, Endgame.
A Dutch translation named those accused of making comments about Prince Archie’s skin color, which Prince Harry and Meghan Markle initially discussed in their 2021 Oprah interview. Through it all, the Prince and Princess of Wales appeared “regal,” according to a body language expert.
William and Kate attended the Royal Variety Performance amid ‘Endgame’ book drama
Amid a publishing error that saw a Dutch version of Scobie’s latest book include the names of two royals who allegedly discussed Archie’s skin color, William and Kate did what the royal family’s known to do, stay quiet and carry on.
They attended the annual Royal Performance at the Royal Albert Hall on Nov. 30, 2023, their first time at the event together since 2021. Cher headlined the evening, which included performances from Zara Larsson and Paloma Faith, among others.
Amid questions from reporters about Scobie’s book, the alleged racist comments, and British TV presenter Piers Morgan revealing the names on his show that same evening, William and Kate smiled and held hands.
“There was no ‘Endgame’ from William and Kate here,” Judi James, a body language expert, told Mirror. The parents of three “gave a masterclass in the art of looking regal and totally bonded and romantically entwined as a couple here in the face of all the insults and accusations in Scobie’s book.”
Scobie, a royal correspondent and author, didn’t name those alleged to have made the comments in Endgame’s English version. In the wake of the error, copies of the Dutch version have reportedly been pulled from the shelves and pulped.
“This is not their usual A-list red carpet cosplay,” James told Daily Mail of William and Kate’s appearance. “Following the insults and rumours [sic] from Scobie’s book, the couple seem to have taken a regal approach that is also very human and more emotionally revealing in terms of their shared love than ever before.”
William appeared ‘tactile and protective’ with Kate as ‘Endgame’ questions were asked outside the Royal Variety Performance
Overall, the Prince and Princess of Wales weren’t exactly their typical selves at the Royal Variety Performance, per James.
“William was more tactile than ever before here, holding his hand out to Kate in a gesture of loving support, which she took with a long gaze and a hand that carefully displayed Diana’s engagement ring,” the expert said.
Additionally, William looked “determined to make statement gestures,” with his body language toward Kate taking on a “tactile and protective” air.
“He is at his romantic best here, stretching one hand out to take Kate’s and then leading her in as though presenting her proudly to the watching world,” James added.
“He places one hand on her back in a steering gesture that also looks protective. Plus, “the smile he gets from her in response appears adoring and grateful.”
William and Kate had longer, more ‘meaningful’ eye contact at the Royal Albert Hall
Not only were William and Kate quick to public displays of affection, or PDA, they seemed to keep their eyes focused largely on each other.
“Their eye contact was more sustained and meaningful than we have seen from them before,” James said.
She also noted how Kate’s smile changed “from her usual pitch-perfect social smile to a much warmer, open-mouthed smile of delight.”
“William has spent his entire adult life avoiding any of the risks for Kate that his mother suffered in the same role,” James concluded. “Now he seems to step up to show unity and utter resilience as he shows the world what a genuine royal power couple look like.”
Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
