Don’t Believe the Rumors: Prince George Was *Not* Getting Told Off by His Father, Prince William, at the Rugby World Cup Last Weekend

Prince William and Prince George at the Rugby World Cup — (Image credit: Getty Images)

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but sometimes it doesn’t tell the whole story: an image from Prince William and Prince George’s father-son outing to the Rugby World Cup last weekend appeared to show William giving his eldest son a stern talking to, but a body language expert suggests it portrays something more, The Daily Express reports. “The Prince of Wales was spotted wagging his finger at his eldest son, who appeared to be rolling his eyes as his dad seemingly chewed his ear at the quarterfinal match between Argentina and Wales in Marseille on October 14,” the outlet writes.

But body language expert Inbaal Honigmaal countered that assessment, saying that George’s eye roll was likely more of a verdict on the match he was watching than any potential telling off by his dad, she said. “Nearly all the photos from this event seem to feature the young royal with his irises rolling upwards,” Honigmaal said. “This eye rolling very likely indicates he finds the event tedious and is imagining himself doing something else.” (But we thought George liked rugby? *shrugs*)

The body language expert said that it doesn’t appear that George is getting scolded: “Prince George isn’t tense here,” she said. “He’s definitely calm, which we can tell because his mouth isn’t pressed in any photos. His lightly parted lips signify calm. Whatever Prince William is telling him, it is not a conversation that’s disturbing his peace.”

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Honigmaal said she can also tell that William and George share a close bond, pointing to photos from before the match showing William with his hand on his son’s shoulder. Other images from the game show George leaning into his father’s side, and Honigmaal said this indicates how close he feels to his father.

George joined William—who is patron of the Welsh Rugby Union—as Wales took on Argentina last Saturday in Marseille. The event was significant, as it marked the first time George attended an international sporting fixture in person; he joined his dad on Saturday in Marseille but not his mom, the Princess of Wales, who herself was in Marseille on Sunday to see England take on Fiji. (Kate is patron of England’s Rugby Football Union.) It has long been a friendly battle between William and Kate as to whether George’s loyalties would ultimately fall with Wales or England, and, per last weekend, George “appeared to have made his loyalties clear,” The Daily Express reports. Though George’s allegiance seems to have been chosen, Kate’s side ultimately won the weekend, as England defeated Fiji, while Wales fell to Argentina.

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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.