Why William and Kate use 'romantic micro gestures' on the red carpet unlike Harry and Meghan

A body language expert has claimed that while Prince William and Kate use 'romantic micro gestures' on the red carpet, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex show their romance in a very different and more 'featured' way.

• Body language expert, Judi James, has spoken to woman&home about some recent red-carpet appearances.
• The expert compared the subtle gestures between William and Kate, and Harry and Meghan, during these public appearances.
• In other royal news, Carole Middleton shares festive 'tradition' in adorable insight into Christmas with George, Charlotte and Louis.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a rare public appearance at the Ripple of Hope Gala in New York on Tuesday night. Meghan Markle wowed in a strapless white dress and Diana’s jewelry for her first red carpet-appearance with Prince Harry in over a year. 

Similarly, just last week, the Prince and Princess of Wales lit up the green carpet at the Earthshot Prize Ceremony in Boston. Kate Middleton stepped out of her comfort zone in a daring, rented look as she paid homage to Diana by wearing her iconic choker. 

A Body Language Expert has compared these red carpet appearances and explained the key differences between the way that the royal couples show their affection when surrounded by cameras at a public event. 

"There is a world of difference in the way William and Kate, and Harry and Meghan perform on the red carpet. But, there are some clear similarities too, especially between the brothers, who will still tend to mirror each other’s more subliminal states of suppressed anxiety and awkwardness," began Judi James.

The expert suggested that both Prince Harry and Prince William have a slight awkwardness in front of the camera. "Neither men have red carpet posing, which is normally a celebrity ritual with the aim of plugging something or self-publicity, in their DNA. Both were bred to see posing up for the cameras as a necessary evil, often something they would do before a family holiday as a trade-off to get some privacy. Royals generally don’t need publicity, they tend to avoid it," Judi said.

"This history reflects in the self-comfort partial barrier gestures both men use, with William placing a hand on his stomach and Harry fiddling with his clothing. However, Harry has now become a celebrity with a product to plug and his wider, camera-friendly smiles are rather broader than William’s slightly more bashful ones," she concluded.

The expert then explored the key way that the royal couples display affection, and highlighted that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex use more obvious gestures.

"William and Kate also lack the relationship narrative in their body language signals as a couple that Harry and Meghan use," said Judi. 

"Harry and Meghan are illustrating and describing their enduring love story for the fans, making their hand-holding and Meghan’s flattering, besotted gazing important. Kate and William tend to use subtler touches and glances that are more about the tie-signs, i.e. small steering touches and romantic micro gestures rather than featured ones," she said. 

"The biggest difference though comes from their perceived audience and their connection signals with that audience. Kate will wave to the crowds but then she will hone in on their hosts, chatting while the photos are being taken. She doesn’t work the cameras or court them in the way Meghan does, she just stands and smiles and lets the photographers get their shots," said Judi.

The expert then suggested that Meghan's ability to interact well with the camera could be down to her experience as an actress.

"Meghan, however, has a much closer relationship with cameras thanks to her time as an actress. When we watch her posing on the red carpet we can see her eyes instinctively working each of the cameras separately to get a good shot with lots of eye connection. She glances back over her shoulder at them and she smiles at them in a much  more direct and personal way," concluded Judi.