A gesture from Prince William during the King's Scottish Coronation hinted at "anxiety" compared to a confident Princess of Wales, according to a body language expert.
The Prince and Princess, known as the Duchess of Rothesay while in Scotland, joined King Charles and his wife Queen Camilla at Edinburgh's St Giles Cathedral on Wednesday as the monarch was presented with the Honours of Scotland. King Charles was presented with Scotland's crown jewels during a service of thanksgiving and dedication in the capital.
The Princess of Wales wowed in a Catherine Walker coat dress, something she has worn several times, including at Easter this year, with a necklace from the late Queen's collection. Prince William was dressed in his RAF No.1 Uniform with his Order of the Thistle mantle.
The pair took part in the procession in and out of St Giles before enjoying the RAF flypast from the Palace of Holyroodhouse, reports The Mirror.
However, the royal couple showed slightly different body language, especially inside the cathedral while enjoying the readings and musical performances during the ceremony, says expert Darren Stanton.
"With Kate, we see that she really enjoys the civil events and meeting people. William will attend them and do his duty, but he doesn’t show this same level of enjoyment or inner resilience as Kate has", the expert said.
"Every now and then, we see some old gestures creeping in with Prince William. William is seen putting his hand over his torso, which psychologically is covering his vital organs.
"This is a clear example of a self-reassuring, pacifier gesture and one we make when we don’t feel fully confident in certain situations. Kate, to the right, was the complete opposite of this, coming across as very authoritative and sure of herself", he added.
Darren also suggested that Kate has become increasingly self-assured during royal engagements over time.
Speaking on behalf of Betfair Casino, he added: "We always see this abundant level of confidence with Kate, whether she's with King Charles, Prince William or Princess Anne, we always see this very confident posture.
"She stood very upright with her shoulders back, and you can tell she is deeply confident in her own skin - she looked the most confident one in the room. She has greatly developed over the years in terms, and now she’s extremely confident in social situations.
"There is a little intimate moment between Kate and William during the service. William seems to be looking down at the words singing a hymn.
"Kate, who has the same book in her hand, is looking up at William and laughing at him mischievously as if he's forgotten the words. This is a nice slither of humanism, as it shows a great natural moment between the future King and Queen."
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