A body language expert revisited an awkward moment when Kate Middleton appeared to give Prince William a “don’t interrupt signal” when he attempted a PDA move. Kate subtly shrugged him off in the blink-and-you-might-have-missed-it moment.
Kate Middleton appeared to reject Prince William’s PDA move
Kate and William were featured in A Berry Royal Christmas with Mary Berry in 2019. At one point during the TV show, the couple sat and spoke with other people about baking and Prince William placed his hand on Kate’s shoulder. Kate pulled her shoulder away, shifted slightly, and looked away.
Body language expert Judi James analyzed the moment, telling Express, “It was a warm, relaxed, log fire Christmas moment and William clearly thought it was appropriate to place a hand on his wife’s arm as they chatted about baking.”
She continued, “Kate’s response looks like a charming but emphatic rejection of that touch, but was it really a PDA from William and was Kate really performing a knock-back?”
Expert analyzes Prince William and Kate Middleton’s body language
James believes that Kate was engaged in the conversation and wanted to keep her focus on the discussion. “Kate’s pose here suggests almost girlish enthusiasm and even a less regal, more low-status approach to the group chat,” the expert explained.
James continued, “She seems to be in the middle of listening to another woman and William’s gesture to refer the interest back to Kate via whatever he is saying might have been seen as an interruption that was wrong at that moment.”
The body language expert also shared a theory that the couple’s interaction could have been “playful.” She explained, “The couple had also been competitive with their baking too and this might have been the kind of banter-based, playful gesture that William can be known for.”
She continued, “Kate’s response looks like a ‘don’t interrupt‘ signal, involving a whole-body wriggle to create distance rather than an angry micro shoulder-shrug or arm movement.”
Read Related Also: Lehrmann 'putting on a brave face' by claiming he could get defamation millions, court told
James added, “Kate doesn’t miss a beat otherwise, suggesting this was less of a personal rejection and more like a ‘not right now’ signal.”
Another body language expert says the reaction might have been a reflex
Back in 2019, when fans reacted to what appeared to be Kate snubbing William’s PDA attempt, body language expert Blanca Cobb told Cosmopolitan it was likely a reflex.
“I don’t think it was a tickle,” she said. “Think about when somebody bumps into you — you’ll pull back and turn your body to have some space. You don’t know it’s coming.”
Cobb continued, “So it can be a reflex or it can be that she didn’t want his hand on her at that moment, so she twisted away from him and her shoulder went with the rest of her body. The way she moved her shoulder, it was obvious she wanted it to come off.”
Cobb shared her theories about the way Kate pulled away and didn’t think it indicated anything too worrisome. “Sometimes, when someone leans on you or touches you, you will move. It’s a reflex. It truly is a reflex,” the body language expert noted.
She also looked at the way William reacted in the moment, which didn’t indicate any feelings of rejection. “The way William moved his hand, he didn’t seem to be bothered by it, and Kate had a big ol’ smile on her face,” Cobb said.
Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
