Prince George proves he’s learning family values from his dad Prince William as he plays ‘the role of protector’ with little brother Prince Louis

The heir to the throne takes his title of big brother very seriously

Prince George
(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

A body language expert has highlighted how Prince George plays ‘the role of protector’ with his little brother Prince Louis and has learnt to 'keep an eye' on his sibling from his dad Prince William's family-orientated actions. 

With Christmas just around the corner, royal fans have more than just buying presents and decorating the Christmas tree on their minds. That's because it's expected that Prince Louis will be stepping out for a rare appearance alongside his parents, Prince William and Kate Middleton, and his older siblings, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, either for the upcoming Together at Christmas carol concert, or for the Royal Family's Christmas day walkabout. 

Last year, the public was delighted when Louis made his debut with the family during their annual walk to the Christmas Day church service at St Mary Magdalene church. The youngster brought along his classic charm and cheeky personality, greeting fans and accepting presents from well-wishers who had lined their route. 

But it was another royal who caught the attention of one body language expert on the day. 

Prince George and Prince Louis

(Image credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images)

 Body language expert Judi James shared that Prince George displayed a lot of 'protective' behaviour towards his two younger siblings throughout the walk and has suggested that the youngster, who sits second in the royal line of succession, was 'mirroring' his father's body language when it came to looking after them. 

Speaking about the engagement, Judi James told The Mirror, "One of the sweetest and most poignant body language signals was the sight of George using touch, chat and bending rituals to signal he is now in the role of protector and 'keeping-an-eye-on' monitor for his younger brother Louis.

"As the family reached the church William put a hand out to touch George's back and leaned towards his elder son but George was already using those same rituals towards his small and rather playful brother.

"The gesture looked spontaneous, as though this is a role he is taking on a lot and, after the footage of a young William and Harry growing up together that was shown in Harry's Netflix show, it looked like a poignant mirror-image of how their sibling relationship shaped up before they grew up and fell apart."

Princess Diana, Prince William and Prince Harry

(Image credit: Terry Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images)

The expert added that William likely sees himself in George, not least because he understands the experience of growing up as heir to the throne, but mainly because of that pressure to look after younger siblings as the eldest of the bunch. 

"William was shown in caring mode for Harry back then, just as George is now with Louis. The links can't have been lost on William, who seems to have proved himself as a man who learns from mistakes from the past and battles to reshape his future accordingly."

The brother's may be estranged now, but in childhood it was clear that William took the task of protecting Harry very seriously. Analysing a photo of the brothers taken on their first day of school, body language expert Karen Donaldson told Women's Health, that Harry was often blissfully unaware of William's efforts to keep him safe. 

In the photo, William is seen standing behind Harry, which the expert says is a protective gesture. In addition, William's toes are pointing towards his brother. “Toe pointing shows someone’s true intentions,” explains Donaldson, noting that this stance shows that Prince William is “his brother’s keeper” here.

"Meanwhile," the publication writes, "Little Harry is just happily engrossed in the moment while smiling for the cameras."

In other royal news, Prince George and Princess Charlotte will reportedly ‘attend boarding school together’ after ‘heated debates’ between Prince William, Kate Middleton and King Charles III over the children's future, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet might have just had a secret-family reunion with this special relative - and we’re sure Prince Harry was delighted, and Christmas could come early for royal fans as Prince Louis tipped to make special appearance at upcoming royal event.

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse
Royal News and Entertainment writer

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.