Princess Kate Showed She Was the Leader of Her Family at Wimbledon, Body Language Expert Says

(Image credit: Getty)

published 17 July 2023

The Princess of Wales is a Wimbledon regular—appearing three times at the tennis tournament this year alone—and yesterday brought with her two of her children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, as well as her husband, Prince William. While there, Kate showed an “impressive firmness” with George and Charlotte, putting on full display her key role in preparing them for royal life, a body language expert speaking to The Mirror said.

Before sitting down in the Royal Box to enjoy the men’s singles final, the foursome had royal duties to complete, meeting players, officials, and ball boys and girls who lined up to greet them on the Player’s Lawn. Kate introduced her kids to everyone, explaining who they were and what they did.

Kate proved herself the leader of the family, specifically when it comes to preparing her kids for a life of royal duties. “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,” body language expert Judi James said. “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.”

James continued “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. 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 underway, and their mirroring of her body language rituals showed a synchronization that was proof of her power and her leadership role at that location.”

Kate has been patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club since 2016, a role she was given by Queen Elizabeth.

James also noted that, as the match got underway, both George and Charlotte copied their parents; George mirrored William, and Charlotte emulated Kate.

“George’s body language as he watched the match was almost identical to the rituals he uses when watching football with his dad,” James said. “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 mirrored mom Kate, as she is often prone to do: “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,” James said. “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.”

James continued "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.”

In addition to paying ample attention to her kids, Kate also paid attention to her husband, James told The Mirror. “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,” she said.

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.