‘Protective’ Prince William shows he’s breaking away from royal dad tradition: body language expert

A poignant photo of Prince William and his three children snapped by “proud mum” Kate Middleton has been analysed by a leading body language expert.

The never-before-seen photograph taken by the Princess of Wales shows Prince William as a protective figure to Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, for Father’s Day, and a “hands-on” royal dad who breaks with tradition.

Body language expert Judi James told The Sun: “William is very much the protector here, stretching both arms out to encircle his children in a ‘winged’ gesture, as though hiding them under his wings,” the body language expert adds.

“Charlotte is very much shown as Daddy’s girl here, leaning in towards her father and placing her arm around his waist.

“George and Louis show body language signals of a desire to announce they see themselves as rather grown-up here though.

“They stand with their arms around each other and with George’s arm around Louis illustrating the dynamic we can see in their public appearances, where George is clearly protective of his younger brother, acting as a similar role-model to Louis as William was to him.”

While mum Princess Catherine was behind the camera for this shoot, James explains that she is “sharing the view of the future with her boys but also recording the moment as a proud mother.”

While we may be unable to see the royals’ faces, the candid shot shares an intimate side to the family.

The image, taken by the Princess of Wales, was posted to Instagram. Picture: Instagram

“The casual clothing gives it an idyllic, Enid Blyton look and the way the group stand with their backs to the camera make this an intimate moment of looking forward into the future,” said James.

“Instead of William and the children facing the camera to project their pose in a non-verbal conversation with the viewer they are seen ‘caught’ in a moment of more spontaneous affection here as we are allowed to share the view with them rather than watching them pose up self-consciously or to romp playfully as they have tended to do in previous photos.

“It’s a pose that seems to signal the beginning of the end of childhood and the freedom enjoyed before the move into royal adulthood.”

It also shows Prince William is breaking away from royal dad tradition, demonstrating a more informal relationship with his children than hius own father.

“The casual and tactile theme of this pose shows a detachment from previous generations of royal dads” James said.

“While Charles and even Philip were always shown playing with their boys wearing formal suits and with a hands-off approach or one hand even pushed into a pocket, William’s ‘winged’ embrace shows a desire to be casual, informal and very much hands-on as a dad.”

Prince Harry was excluded from Prince William’s touching tribute. Picture: Instagram

It comes as the Princess of Wales returned to her hobby of family portraiture with a heartwarming new photo of Prince William at the beach with the couple’s children George, 10, Charlotte, 9, and Louis, 6, for British Father’s Day.

The image, which is credited to “The Princess of Wales, 2024” was posted to the royal couple’s official Instagram account.

“We love you, Papa. Happy Father’s Day. G, C & L,” the caption read.

The post, which gives voice to the royal children, is the first statement they’ve made since they have seen their mother diagnosed with cancer and undergo treatment.

The touching posts follow London’s dazzling Trooping the Colour ceremony, the official celebration of the monarch’s birthday that occurs each year.

The colourful celebration marked Princess Catherine’s first public appearance in six months following her shock cancer diagnosis and she appeared to be in good health.

Princess Charlotte appeared to be looking after her mother during the event, constantly checking in and making sure everyone was looked after.

Their three children were on their best behaviour during the day’s events, until Prince Louis stole the show in signature style by unleahsing some dance moves.

Originally published as ‘Protective’ Prince William shows he’s breaking away from royal dad tradition: body language expert