Princess Kate showed she was “very much the leader of her family” while Prince William took a backseat on Centre Court as they watched a thrilling Wimbledon final.
Kate, William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte were in the royal box at Centre Court to see the thrilling Wimbledon showdown as Carlos Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic to claim the title in an enthralling five-set match.
The Princess of Wales “stepped up into her very high profile regal leadership and hosting role with body language displays of confidence and a genuine passion for the game”, according to behavioral analyst Judi James.
Kate and Princess Charlotte made a “compelling double act” at the Wimbledon final while the couple’s eldest child Prince Geroge showed he’s learning a lot from his father William.
In contrast, the body language expert said the Prince of Wales watched the action “like an over-awed child”.
The Princess of Wales is known to be a huge tennis fan, and James said her love for the sport shone through before, during and after but acted with “impressive firmness” when with her family.
James told The Mirror: “Kate showed herself to be the true Queen of Wimbledon this year, stepping up into her very high profile regal leadership and hosting role with body language displays of confidence and a genuine passion for the game.
“She was very much the leader of her small family group too, hosting and coaching Charlotte and George while William stepped back to gaze on proudly using body language like a ‘fig leaf’ hand clasp barrier in front of the torso that made him look a little like an over-awed child himself.
“It looked like ‘bring your children to work’ day for Kate, who hosted with an impressive firmness, introducing Charlotte and George by name to the players and staff she was meeting and indulging in some lengthy explanations and instructions to her son and daughter that suggested she is now taking a huge role in preparing them for royal life.
The body language expert added: “Her constant pointing and explanations seemed to work in terms of motivation.
“Both children appeared to be as enthusiastic about the match as Kate herself was by the time the final was under way and their mirroring of her body language rituals showed a synchronization that was proof of her power and her leadership role at that location.”
James also closely analysed the relationship between George and William – and saw a lot of similarities between the son and father.
She said: “George’s body language as he watched the match was almost identical to the rituals he uses when watching football with his dad.
“His air punches were a rather macho sign of victory that he has copied from William, but his face-covering gesture with both hands looked identical to a gesture his mother used, showing like-minded enthusiasm.
“It was Charlotte who was the revelation here, though. While her big brother restricted himself to spontaneous but more subtle signs of encouragement and celebration, Charlotte was in full battle-cry mode – throwing her arms up into the air with her mouth wide open in a roar of enthusiasm.
“Charlotte also copied Kate’s hands over the face cut-off gesture when the tension got too much, although unlike her brother she couldn’t resist still peeking at the court.”
The body language expert also observed the interactions between Charlotte and Kate, and said the daughter and her mother “make a very compelling double act”.
She also picked out a “very sweet moment of affection” between the pair”, while adding William “took a more low-key role” during the Wimbledon final with his family.
James concluded: “Charlotte and Kate make a very compelling double act with high levels of subliminal mirroring. Their heads leant together in a non-verbal sign of synchronicity and as they watched the match they moved or sat in similar positions.
“And then there was the very sweet moment of affection between mother and daughter. As Charlotte looked at her mother Kate placed her fingers under her chin to tilt her head up gently, which was an affectionate gesture to show Charlotte had her full attention and support.
“William took a more low-key role but when he did chat to the children he received flatteringly intense signals of attention and affection from Kate, who seemed determined to bring him into the group via smiles and eye attention rituals of encouragement.”
