Kate Middleton’s simple trick to keep her children calm in public - and she even uses it on herself

A body language expert has revealed Kate Middleton’s simple trick that helps to keep her three young children calm while they're in public - and she even uses it on herself to regulate her emotions. 

Throughout 2023, Prince George, ten, Princess Charlotte, eight, and five-year-old Prince Louis, made more public appearances than ever alongside their parents Kate Middleton and Prince William.  

Despite their young ages, the children are always on their best behaviour - even when Louis broke protocol with a royal ‘first’ caught on camera during the Royal Family's Christmas day walkabout. Of course, they've been raised to understand royal protocol and their prominent positions in public life so this behaviour is second nature to them now. But their tender age means that mum Kate has had to adopt some handy tricks to keep all three of them calm and ready to take on the crowds. 

One simple way in which she does this, as seen on many royal engagements, is by stroking the children's hair when she notices them getting overwhelmed. 

The Princess has often been spotted running a gentle hand over her children's heads, using the simple gesture to much affect. But it's likely that she does so because she herself has found the gesture to be comforting, as body language expert Judi James revealed Kate tends to play with her own hair when she seems 'unsure or anxious.'

Speaking to The Express, the expert shared, “Many of these [hair touching] rituals relate to the comfort gestures we were familiar with as babies. Parents will often stroke a child’s head to get it off to sleep and this can emerge as a small self-stroke or hair fiddling when we get older.

“Kate’s gesture looks part practical, to avoid her thick hair sweeping across her face, but also part-emotional, occurring at moments when she might look faintly unsure or anxious.” 

She added, “She does have a signature ‘hair-touch’ gesture that is a regular ritual although it doesn’t always look confined to moments when she needs to keep her hair in check.

“Hair-touch can be a preening ritual that looks flirty or even which can be performed to bring attention to the face. But it can also be a small self-calming ritual that is truncated, hinting at a desire to touch or stroke the hair more during moments of anxiety.” 

The parenting approach is a simple, calming one that has great effects on the children, as many of Kate's parenting hacks do. Kate's parenting style has long been praised by experts, including one who said her modern and child-led approach may be 'the one' as it works on so many levels and, as we go into the New Year with many parents making parenting-orientated resolutions, Kate's approach is sure to inspire.