Prince William brushed off the photo row involving him and his wife the Princess of Wales with several telling signs of confidence and authority, according to an expert.
The Prince of Wales stepped out at the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey today alongside his royal relatives, including Queen Camilla, Princess Anne and Edward and Sophie, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. His appearance came just hours after Kate issued a personal apology following a photo editing row concerning a snap of her and her three children released to mark Mother's Day. The photograph of Kate and her children, taken by William, was the first to be issued since the princess's abdominal surgery and was released by the Palace to mark Mother's Day.
But several of the world's biggest international photo agencies said the photograph issued of Kate and her three children had been "manipulated" and issued a kill notice and said they had each deleted the image from their individual libraries, with Kate later apologising for any confusion.
But despite the row, body language expert Judi James noted several telling gestures that showed William was staying upbeat. She told the Mirror: "It was so sweet to see William’s uncles and aunties show such warm support as he joined them in the sadly very depleted royal group straight after their arrival.
"Anne, Sophie and Edward were all wearing invincible smiles to suggest all is well, although when William walked to join them his own body language rituals did suggest he was retaining an air of confidence and even authority. He stood with a confident leg splay and even bounced slightly on his heels to imply enjoyment. He kissed Uncle Edward on either cheek and patted him on the arm in an expression of gratitude."
Kate Middleton swears by £19.99 rosehip oil that helps 'reduce wrinkles & scars'Meanwhile, Judi also noted one royal in particular appearing to show support for William, his stepmother Queen Camilla. She added: "When Camilla joined them though it looked as though it was William showing support for her.
"Breaking away from the group he performed an eyebrow-flash greeting of pleasure and delight before holding an arm out to hold her arm for a cheek kiss. Camilla reciprocated the partial hug and the pair retained the touch for a second or so longer than necessary in a micro-signal of mutual support."
Kate's apology came amid concerns being raised over a missing part of Princess Charlotte’s sleeve and the misaligned edge of her skirt, with other speculation including the positioning of Kate's zip. Royal sources said the Princess of Wales made "minor adjustments" and that Kate and the Prince of Wales wanted to offer an informal picture of the family together for Mother's Day.
"This was an amateur, family photograph taken by the Prince of Wales. Their Royal Highnesses wanted to offer an informal picture of the family together for Mother's Day," the source said.
"The Princess made minor adjustments as she shared in her statement on social media, the Wales family spent Mother’s Day together and had a wonderful day." Despite calls for the original to be published, Kensington Palace said it would not be reissuing the unedited photograph of Kate and her children.