The Prince and Princess of Wales both show signs of "tension" in their new "casual" family Christmas card snap, a body language expert has said.
The sunlit image shows the couple walking hand-in-hand with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis through the Norfolk countryside.
The family of five can be seen strolling along a path with William holding the hand of future king George at one end, while at the other Kate holds Louis’ hand, with Charlotte in the middle.
The royal children are dressed for a day out exploring the countryside wearing short sleeve tops and shorts while their parents are casually dressed.
And according to body language expert Judi James, despite the photo appearing happy and relaxed, there are signs both William and Kate look slightly tense.
She told the Mirror: "The message overall is of a happy, relaxed and casual team of five with their slightly freewheeling image possibly answering Prince Harry’s claims of the ‘gilded cage’ of the royal firm that he had to flee the UK to escape from.
"William is the only one looking away here, with his rather tense smile making him look reflective or wary.
"Kate’s smile is also a little more tense-looking than usual, although her smile still shows pride in her beautiful family."
Meanwhile, Judi also notes that the couple's eldest son George is the one appearing to take the lead in the snap.
She added: "It’s rather touching that George seems to have almost taken over his father’s role as ‘leader’ of this pose.
"William has always been the one motivating other royals for formal photos, even when he was young, but here it’s George grinning at the camera with a slight head tilt and leading Charlotte with his handclasp."
The photo was taken earlier this year in Norfolk by photographer Matt Porteous, who has snapped many pictures of William and Kate and their family in the past.
The card comes as Kate prepares to host her second annual Christmas Carol Concert at Westminster Abbey on Thursday, where she will be joined by William, King Charles, Queen Consort Camilla and other members of the royal family.
It is dedicated to the late Queen, who died three months ago, but comes at a time of continued turmoil for the Windsors.
That's because earlier that day the royals will be bracing themselves for bombshells as the final three episodes of Harry and Meghan’s six-part docuseries drop on Netflix.
In a new trailer for part two of Harry & Meghan, Harry claims that people were "happy to lie” to protect his brother, William.
In the first three episodes released last Thursday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex railed against their treatment by the Firm.
Harry signified an "unconscious bias” of racism at the heart of the institution while Meghan labelled William and Kate emotionless after she hugged them at their first meeting.
Harry also claimed the royals asked why Meghan should be "protected" from media speculation, alleging he was told it was something all royal women - including Princess Diana and Kate - have to go through.
While Meghan said she was left unprepared for royal life as she didn't know what a walkabout was and wore muted colours to blend in.
