The expert claimed: “There are two very different sets of body language here from two very different royal couples, separated by rank, duty and attitude.
“Kate and William are probably one of the last royal couples to prefer a formal and non-tactile approach to their public appearances.
“They are totally capable of signalling love, affection and admiration but they do it via intense and often subliminal mirroring of each other.
“They also use subtle and rapid touches and the occasional gaze, often with William gazing at his wife in what looks like love tinged with awe.
“For them, rank is about discretion and also, importantly for William, avoiding creating soap-opera or celebrity-style interest. Their body language is always very on-message, communicating just the right amount of signals but without showing any narrative of anything deeper or more complex.”
Judi claimed that Kate and William avoid the “intimate tie signs” loved by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for a key reason.
She explained: “As Harry and Meghan have discovered, the more intimate the tie signs and affectionate touches you use in public, the more interest you stir up and the more tempting hints you drop about your emotions and inner feelings.
“The other problem with PDAs is that they can seem to exclude the viewers. Top-level royals tend to employ signals that suggest their focus is on the people or venues they are meeting, rather than on each other.
“This is why Kate and William arrived clearly together but also walking and moving as powerful individuals in their own right. Their focus and their body language were set on their hosts, with their hands free for greeting rituals and no touching each other.”
Judi opined that Kate and William avoided the body language employed by Beatrice and Edoardo because of fears about people assuming there is “one-sided dominance” in the relationship.
The expert added: “Their status signals also look mutual and evenly balanced. Even simple hand-holding, like the clasp Beatrice and Edoardo were doing, will suggest one-sided dominance as the one with the hand on top of the clasp will tend to look like the more dominant or protective partner.
“Another reason the subtler PDAs are a wise idea is that it bullet proofs the royal body language. Intense affection is great but what if, like all couples, they fall out, argue or go through a bad patch behind the scenes?
“It can be less about what a royal couple does and more about what they stop doing because if those clasps, hugs and PDAs suddenly cease, the effect will be dramatic and telling.”
The Princess of York and her husband of three years displayed body language at the royal wedding that could “never work” for the Prince and Princess of Wales.
“Beatrice and Edoardo happily tell a whole story via their sweet body language signals here though. Arriving hand-in-hand their smiles look bashful and they seem to giggle together, looking very much like newlyweds,” Judi suggested.
“It’s cute and clearly romantic, but it would never work for Kate and William, who represent the crown as well as just acting like wedding guests and friends of the bride and groom.”
