Prince William is a “Hands-On Parent” Who “Wants to Show a Close Bond” with His Eldest Son, Prince George

Prince William and Prince George interact at a cricket match — (Image credit: Getty)

Prince William and Prince George were seen out this weekend enjoying cricket together—a father and son day where their close bond was on full display (including noshing on pizza and chatting with the Prime Minister—as one does when they are an heir to the throne).

Per The Mirror, George—who will be 10 later this month—showed maturity and poise at the outing.

“George appears older than his years,” said body language expert Inbaal Honigman. “We don’t see any fidgeting. He’s sitting patiently, watching and chatting.” She added George’s reactions to his surroundings showed he was “fully engaged with the environment around him.”

Another body language expert, Adrienne Carter, said George’s expressions at public events have in the past suggested he was self-conscious, but his confidence has grown, she said.

“William comes across as a hands-on parent and willing to take the time to spend with his oldest son one-on-one,” Carter said. “He wants to show a close bond to the world.”

She continued “In this clip we see a confident boy growing and being calm under scrutiny. In some clips at previous events, George can often look self-conscious, but we don’t see any of that in this clip.”

For the match—which saw England play rival Australia—the two sat in the royal box. The pair not only physically resembled one another, but, The Mirror reports, “George appeared again to ‘mirror’ his dad by emulating some of his gestures,” the outlet reports.

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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.