Prince William and Kate Middleton share rare unseen photo to celebrate start of the new year

Prince William and Kate Middleton have shared a rare, previously unseen photo to celebrate the beginning of 2022. 

• The photo shows the couple smiling ahead of the No Time To Die premiere in autumn last year.
• Shared on the couple's Instagram page, @dukeandduchessofcambridge, it's the latest in a succession of posts by the couple to mark Christmas and the end of 2021.
• In other royal news, another new photo of Kate Middleton is expected this year to mark a very special occasion.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge brought in the new year yesterday with a rare candid photo on their Instagram page.

It shows the couple holding hands and grinning in the back seat of their car ahead of the James Bond premiere in September last year. Prince William is wearing a smart jacket and black bowtie while Kate is wearing the sensational sparkling gold dress that captured the nation's attention when she hit the red carpet.

The caption reads, "Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! 🎆 ".

Many fans of the royal couple were quick to comment on how great the two royals looked, while a body language expert has said that the choice of this particular photo reminds us of the couple's "enduring love".

Judy James told The Sun, "This simple, sexy and very loving photo that the Cambridges have chosen for their New Year message is subtly packed with what look like several coded messages about both their relationship with each other and their relationship with the UK public, with their future roles as King and Queen in mind.

"Why is it sexy? Because it looks so much like an echo of the poses we used to glimpse of the couple during their dating years, when they would often be seen flirting and getting tactile together the back of limos after rolling out of parties."

Judy says that the couple's body language has been "much more discreet" since the wedding, but the choice of this particular photo and its composition "suggests they are still very much the same fun, flirty duo that they were back then."

The moment also captures a high-point for the couple in 2021. Following their 10-year anniversary, Prince William and Kate Middleton took on an important new role in September, launching various new charity initiatives including the Earth Shot Prize, which awards innovators helping to tackle climate change.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are believed to have finished 2021 in West Berkshire, celebrating the New Year with Kate's family after spending Christmas in Norfolk.