Prince William May Have Unintentionally Channeled Princess Diana With His 2023 Father’s Day Photo, Body Language Expert Says
It might’ve been Father’s Day on June 18 but Prince William’s photo for the occasion was all Princess Diana. A body language expert spotted “touchingly similar” poses in the Prince of Wales’ photo alongside Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
‘Similarities’ to Princess Diana in Prince William’s 2023 Father’s Day photo may have happened ‘subliminally’
Body language expert Judi James highlighted the resemblance between William’s 2023 Father’s Day photo and a childhood photo of him and Prince Harry with Diana. However, as the expert explained to the U.K.’s Express, the similarities may not have been planned.
Kensington Palace released an image of William with his and Kate Middleton’s three kids — George, 9, Charlotte, 8, and Louis, 5 — on June 18 (via Twitter). Taken by Millie Pilkington earlier in 2023, the four were all smiles sitting on a wooden bench at the Windsor Estate.
Louis stood with his arms around William, much like William did with Diana. “These two poses are touchingly similar,” James said. “The one of William with Diana must have had an iconic place in William’s life and memory.”
William and his brother, the now-Duke of Sussex, posed for a photo alongside Diana at Highgrove House in the 1980s. Taken by Jayne Fincher, it showed William, not unlike his youngest son, hugging Diana from behind.
However, as James shared, William may not have intentionally tried to channel his own childhood photo. “The similarities could have occurred subliminally rather than deliberately,” she said. “Especially as it would have depended on the body language reaction of two young boys: William and Louis.”
“You can position children for a photo,” the expert explained. “But the spontaneous delight, affection, and fun on both boys’ faces would need to have come naturally from within.”
Wearing blue for William’s 2023 Father’s Day photo might’ve been a more ‘obvious’ nod to Diana
As for what might’ve been planned when it came to William’s 2023 Father’s Day photo, James looked to the royals’ choice of clothing. George, Charlotte, Louis, and William all wore varying shades of blue, which may have been “intentional.”
“The more obvious and perhaps intentional echoes come from the blue colouring, suggesting an air of calm,” she said.
The expert continued: “It also suggests the desire for both William and his mother to be depicted as tactile, hands-on, fun parents who their children see almost more as a playmate rather than a royal.”
“The suggestion,” James continued, “is that William is showing that he is also his mother’s son in terms of parenting.” Both appeared to “adopt a slightly bashful pose in the centre of the composition while their children clamber, clasp, and lean onto them.”
George, Charlotte, and Louis weren’t as ‘chaotic’ in William’s 2023 Father’s Day photo
The Prince and Princess of Wales’ children are growing up as evidenced by William’s 2023 Father’s Day photo. According to James, the image didn’t have the same “chaotic” energy as photos in previous years.
“With William’s three children getting older there is less of a chaotic ‘bundle’ here than previously,” she said. George and Charlotte were pictured “sitting calmly on either side of their dad, gazing up at him and grinning to show their love.”
As for the youngest Wales child, Louis, he’s still a little more rambunctious. “Louis is still very much in the playful, romping stage though,” she said. “And it’s him mirroring his father’s pose as a child by throwing his arms around his dad’s neck in the one gesture of total, encircling hugging that a small child’s arms can manage.”
Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
