Kate Middleton is keen to ‘rewrite the royal rulebook’ and ‘look past protocols’ on royal visits, according to body language expert

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published 11 February 2023

After two high-profile outings this week, Kate Middleton has proved she is keen to "look past protocols" and "rewrite the royal rulebook," a body language expert has claimed.

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The expert believes this is part of Kate and Prince William's plan to change how they portray themselves to the public.
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According to a body language expert, Kate Middleton is keen to "look past protocols" and "rewrite the royal rulebook" when she is out in public. The analysis comes after Kate's two high-profile outings this week, including her first official trip to Cornwall with Prince William since becoming the Duchess of Cornwall.

On Wednesday 8 February, Kate visited Derby to meet Captain Preet Chandi, who recently returned from a polar trek across the Antarctic that made her the first woman to have skied solo to the South Pole twice.

During the engagement, Kate whipped off her jacket, leaving her in a very casual pairing of jeans and trainers, so she could get stuck in and try out Captain Preet Chandi's gruelling training method of pulling tyres.

While we have come to expect this hands on approach from Kate Middleton, according to body language expert Darren Stanton, this was a significant move by the Princess.

Speaking on behalf of Betfair Casino to The Mirror, he explained, "Footage of Kate pulling the tyres along clearly demonstrates her willingness and confidence, as well as her ability, to blend in with those around her.

"It's difficult to imagine any member of the royal family allowing themselves to be filmed and photographed in those surroundings and just goes to show how Kate is keen to look past protocols and rewrite the rulebook when it comes to how she and William portray themselves to the public.

"Kate looks genuinely happy to be taking part, you can see the determination in her face to impress and she looks back towards her audience reassuringly for their encouragement. Keen to get stuck in, we see Kate in the footage taking instructions from others quite willingly.

"This is probably the most understated we have seen Kate. She is dressed down in very casual clothing - again a subtle sign from her to appear relatable and on a similar level to those she is interacting with."

He added, "She is wonderfully confident in her own skin, denoted by her relaxed posture, her genuine smiles, her face continuously fully engaged and she isn’t afraid to show, that at times, she doesn’t take herself too seriously.

"Since becoming the Princess of Wales we have seen Kate develop in great confidence and this desire to connect with her subjects is a sure sign that she’ll go on to make a much-loved Queen."

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Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is royal news and entertainment writer for Goodto.com. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.