Prince William and Kate Middleton have had their hands full over the last couple of days. The Prince and Princess of Wales welcomed Donald and Melania Trump to the UK ahead of their state visit on Wednesday, attending a state banquet later that night. On Instagram, the couple have now published a very rare picture of themselves – holding hands.
Prince William and Kate Middleton will one day become king and queen. For the moment the couple have assumed the duties of Prince and Princess of Wales, and by all accounts have taken to the roles extremely well.
When King Charles received his cancer diagnosis, Prince William took on extra duties to help his father. Meanwhile, Kate has been in remission since the beginning of this year after her own battle with cancer, and her daily life is slowly returning to normal.
This week was a special week for the royals. For a second time, Donald and Melania Trump arrived in the UK for an official state visit, and Prince William and Kate Middleton were the ones welcoming them as they stepped out of Marine One at the Windsor Grounds.
Later at night, the Wales’, alongside King Charles and Queen Camilla, hosted Donald and Melania for a state banquet. William and Kate looked astonishing in their outfits and appeared to have had a great time.
Via their official Instagram account, the couple shared some snaps from the evening. One proved to bear particular resonance, as William and Kate were pictured holding hands.
Why Prince William and Kate Middleton doesn’t hold hands in public
The Prince and Princess of Wales usually don’t hold hands in public. But why is that? Speaking to The Sun in late August, body language expert Darren Stanton said it’s “all to do with protocol”.
“Kate and William play a very important role in the Royal family now as the Prince and Princess of Wales. As they are next in line to the throne and are preparing to become King and Queen themselves one day, they use and follow the traditional royal protocols of the late Queen,” Stanton said.
“The time when we may see them showing affection would be at a more lowkey event, which could be at a charity event or a film premiere. We have seen Harry and Meghan hold hands a lot, which isn’t normal for Royals.”
The body language expert continued by explaining that the late Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, never held hands because “it isn’t acceptable” for a Royal Family member to be affectionate with their significant other. While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle supposedly repeatedly broke royal protocol, William and Kate are very aware of “what’s expected of them.”
“Affectionate in other ways”
While they might not hold hands, Stanton concludes they show appreciation for each other in different ways. Some might even encourage the public to feel that the prince and princess are more authentic.
“Kate and William are affectionate in other ways, and it appears way more genuine than hand-holding. They show their affection with prolonged eye gazes as well as giving each other little back touches to reassure each other when they’re on an outing together,” Stanton concluded in an interview with The Sun.
“Kate is often seen looking deeply into the eyes of William and that shows the strong trust they have with one another. It’s less contrived and forced when we see them being loving with each other.”
Do you think Prince William should hold hand in public despite royal protocol? Please share yout thoughts in the comment section!
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