ALL eyes were on Prince William and Kate Middleton last night as they stole the show at the Baftas – and looked more in love than ever.
The royal couple dazzled on the red carpet at the glitzy ceremony and showed off a flirtier side than normal.
The Prince and Princess of Wales were seen whispering and giggling on the Baftas red carpet
Kate cheekily patted her husband William’s bum in a rare public display of affection
Fans were treated to a number of rare public displays of affection from William, 40, and Kate, 41, who cracked jokes and giggled on their way into the Royal Festival Hall.
Body language expert Judi James suggests the couple moving up the royal ranks and becoming Prince and Princess of Wales may have made them less self-conscious about showing physical affection.
She tells HOAR: “Kate and William do look much less inhibited with their PDAs now they have moved up the royal pecking order.
“Last night’s bottom pat from Kate also showed where some of the power behind the scenes might lie.
“The couple looked totally relaxed and openly excited to be doing full glam on the red carpet.
“They used more eye contact than usual and their touch rituals had increased to create a suggestion of flirting.”
Judi even suggested their sweet moment was a thinly veiled swipe at William’s younger brother Prince Harry, 38.
In Harry and Meghan‘s Netflix documentary series. the Duke claimed there is a “temptation or urge” for royal men to “marry someone who fits in the mould, as opposed to somebody who you are perhaps destined to be with”.
Judi says: “William and Kate’s tactile, playful behaviours could be an answer to Harry with his comments about coolness and royal men marrying women who ‘fit into the mould’.
“This seems to be Kate showing she should not be fitted into any mould, with her Hollywood-style glamour and her very cheeky gesture to her husband.”
The royal pair were all smiles as they walked the red carpet
The beaming royals waved to the crowd as they made their way on the red carpet
Some fans have wondered why the Prince and Princess of Wales aren’t more affectionate publicly like Harry and Meghan
‘Playful reprimand’
Judi believes Kate’s pat was a playful scold as William had missed a vital cue she was trying to send.
“Kate’s pat was more than just a flirt signal,” she says.
“The gesture began when she appeared to raise her right hand with the thumb apart from the fingers to signal a desire to hold hands.
“William didn’t respond though, leaning to chat instead, and so Kate’s small pat or tap on the bum looked part-sexy, part playful reprimand for missing her non-verbal cue.”
The couple were seen whispering to each other and giggling, with William using body language that “looked like he was on a first date” according to Judi.
They were seen making frequent eye contact, which is more than the usual for the couple
She says: “The couple’s eye contact looks more frequent and intense than usual, suggesting they are using it to communicate emotionally and to help share what looks like high levels of pleasure and excitement at the glamourous event.
“Both William and Kate always seem to love dressing up for events like this, and William’s very toothy smile with some suppressions at the corner of the mouth shows exactly how delighted he is to be on this upmarket version of a date night with his beautiful wife.”
She adds that the couple’s “truncated touch rituals” and outstretched arms suggested a desire to be even more tactile.
“William is sporting a ‘cocked thumb’, a classic male body language signal suggesting intense pleasure,” she says.
Kate stunned in a flowing recycled white off the shoulder Alexander McQueen gown paired with a pair of dramatic black gloves.
She accessorised her look with floral earrings from Zara that cost £18 and carried a Jimmy Choo clutch bag.
William, who has been the President of Baftas since 2020, looked dapper in a traditional black suit, completed with a matching bow tie and a white pocket square.
Judi says William used body language that looked like he was on a first date
The pair, who looked glamorous walked in close proximity to each other
The couple beamed on the red carpet of the Baftas last night
