Prince William Is ‘Self-Conscious’ About PDA With Kate Middleton, Body Language Expert Says

Prince William and Kate Middleton have been married for more than a dozen years. The two met at the University of St. Andrews and have been in a relationship for two decades at this point — much of which has been spent in the spotlight. However, despite being no stranger to the public eye, one body language expert seems to think William isn’t quite as “comfortable” showing PDA to his wife as she is — and there are a few telltale signs.

Prince William might be ‘self-conscious’ about PDA, says body language expert

William and Kate didn’t always show each other love in the public eye. Surprisingly, they seem to have taken a page out of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s book. William and Kate were always quite hands-off during royal engagements, but when Harry and Meghan came along and started showing affection like hand-holding, hands on one another, etc., William and Kate started to play up their own relationship. However, body language expert Judi James seems to think William doesn’t love giving Kate affection in front of everyone.

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Kate watched William play in the annual Royal Charity Polo Cup in July 2023, and afterward, he greeted her with a kiss on both cheeks. But James told Express that William was “self-conscious” of the embrace. “Kate looks so much more comfortable greeting her husband with an air kiss,” she said, adding that William was “hunching his shoulders, leaning forward and performing an embrace announcement gesture to register his delight” but that “he keeps things more formal once he docks in,” suggesting that he’s a bit “self-conscious” about too much PDA.

James said that it could be due to how his father was with Princess Diana in public; at one polo match years ago, Charles and Diana gave a half-hearted “miss-kiss” as James called it, which sort of signaled things weren’t great between them. William might not want to risk missing his wife’s mouth and having the public think anything is wrong between them, so he goes for the awkward cheek kiss.

Prince William and Kate Middleton have become more open with their PDA

While William might show signs of feeling self-conscious, it hasn’t stopped William and Kate from paying closer attention to one another in public. The polo match is a perfect opportunity to do so because it’s a more laid-back event that doesn’t require as much proper behavior. The two have even reached the point where Kate has touched William’s butt in public, which James deemed a “love tap.”

William and Kate were once very formal in the public eye, but once the public’s response to Harry and Meghan’s PDA was a welcomed one, Kate and William seemed to amp up their own public displays of affection. We can only assume that it was a way of letting the public know how connected the two are to each other, and it’s possible they were given instruction from their royal staff to seem a bit more loving, but it certainly appears to come naturally between the two and never seems forced.