Prince William's VERY formal greeting for wife Kate Middleton at charity polo match

While the Princess of Wales has made a habit in recent years of offering a supportive pat – often on the rear – to her husband at formal occasions, judging by an awkward kiss at the polo yesterday, it seems Prince William isn’t quite so comfortable with overt PDAs, says a leading body language expert.  

Kate Middleton, 41, watched the Prince, also 41, play in the Out-Sourcing Inc. Royal Charity Polo Cup 2023 at the Guards Polo Club in Windsor on Wednesday – and the couple partook in a rather formal embrace after the match had finished. 

As the Princess of Wales strolled over to congratulate her husband on his performance, with others looking on, he offered the kind of greeting you might give a business acquaintance – an awkward peck on both cheeks.     

The Prince clutched his wife firmly on both shoulders and planted the robust kisses on each cheek. 

Body language expert Judi James told MailOnline: ‘Kate looks so much more comfortable greeting her husband with an air kiss here but, despite approaching the ritual looking emotionally needy, hunching his shoulders, leaning forward and performing an embrace announcement gesture to register his delight, he keeps things more formal once he docks in.’

James said that while it’s clear ‘the couple are increasingly less reserved about their PDAs recently, this moment shows William can still be rather self-conscious about them.’

Formal: While the Princess of Wales, 41, frequently offers a ‘love pat’ to William when they’re out at official engagements, the Prince struggled to look quite so at ease with PDAs at the polo in Windsor yesterday – resulting in an awkward clinch

While William’s hunched shoulders suggest he’s relaxed about the encounter, he opts for formal air kissing rather than a warmer embrace, suggesting he’s still self-conscious about PDAs, says body language expert Judi James

As the polo crowd looked on, William appeared to go for a controlled air kiss, rather than a public smooch…right: William plants a kiss on his wife’s right cheek

With the embrace out of the way, the couple looked much more relaxed, as Prince William showed off a trophy adorned with a cute elephant

And it may be that gender roles are at play, says the expert. 

‘There are three quite practical reasons for his reservations here, firstly the air kiss is a difficult ritual that often mystifies men, then there is the macho spirit of polo, where PDAs with wives are less common, and lastly he must be sadly aware of his father’s iconic but telling miss-kisses with his mother at similar events, putting pressure on him to get it right.’ 

Kate had offered a supportive pat on William’s lower back earlier in the day, something she’s been seen performing a number of times in the past few months. She playfully tapped him on the behind during their day at the Royal Ascot last month, and sent royal fans wild when she performed the same gesture on the red carpet at the BAFTAs in February. 

During the polo, a relaxed-looking Princess of Wales got into the celebratory spirit as she sipped on champagne and shared a laugh with Frankie Dettori and Peter Phillips while they all cheered on the future king. 

The mother-of-three opted for a £550 baby blue midi dress from designer Beulah London, for the occasion.

Clearly a fan of the sport, the Princess was quick to get into the swing of the event and  could be seen throwing her hands into the air with glee as William competed in the charity event.

Kate was beaming from ear-to-ear as the match got underway, while her husband rode across the grounds in front of a crowd including Peter and Frankie. 

Kate, who opted for a £550 baby blue midi dress from designer Beulah London for the occasion, had earlier offered one of her famous supportive pats to her husband

With their hands clasped firmly in front on their bodies, the royals posed with polo guests

Thumbs up from Kate! The royal gave her support to her husband throughout the game

Kate looked gorgeous in a £550 baby blue midi dress from designer Beulah London

Kate Middleton got into the celebratory spirit on Thursday as she sipped on champagne and shared a laugh with Frankie Dettori while cheering on Prince William in a charity polo match 

The Princess appeared to be having a whale of time as she caught up with the jockey Frankie  Dettori during the event

During the outing, the Princess appeared in high spirits and could be seen chatting with her husband and other attendees. 

It’s likely the couple’s children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, did not join them at the event because it is still term-time. 

The Princess wore her hair in loose waves across her shoulders and opted for neutral makeup, with a sweep of eyeliner and a touch of blusher. 

Kate has worn the London-based designer on a number of different occasions in the past. 

In fact, Beulah London, co-founded by Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs and Lavinia Brennan in 2010, has become a go-to label for Kate.

Kate also shared a kiss with polo player Luke Tomlinson

Just last week, the Princess rewore a two-year old dress from the brand to head to the Young V&A event in London. 

Meanwhile Prince William arrived in a blue shirt and smart grey blazer, before changing into his polo kit as he took to the field. 

Prince William previously played in charity polo matches with his brother Prince Harry, who now lives in his $14.7million home in Santa Barbara with wife Meghan Markle, son Archie, and daughter Lilibet Diana.

The pair both competed in the Jerudong Trophy charity polo match together at Cirencester Park Polo Club in 2017.

Prince Harry and William went head-to-head in the King Power Royal Charity Polo Day, held in honour of late Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha on July 2019.

After the charity match, Kate strolled across the polo ground with Prince William and his teammates 

After Prince William dismounted, he and Kate were quick to catchup on how the game had gone 

Kate appeared to offer her husband some encouraging words after the match, as she gave him a thumbs up with both her hands 

After the match, a number of attendees came to chat to Prince William, who unzipped his polo shirt 

The Princess was in high spirits during the charity match, which will raise funds for 11 different charities associated with the Wales’s 

After the polo match, Prince William came over to chat with his wife from atop his horse 

Catching up with Kate! Prince William rode his horse over to speak to Kate after the match this afternoon 

A very proud Princess! Kate threw her hands into the air with joy as she watched her husband Prince William in the match

Pleased as punch! Kate couldn’t contain her happiness as she beamed with joy at the event this afternoon 

Over the moon! The Princess, who like her husband is known for her competitive nature, couldn’t contain her excitement as the match came to an end

The brothers were supported by the Duchess of Sussex, who was seen cradling baby Archie, and the Princess, who brought along royal supporters Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Later on the Prince of Wales and his team went on to win the Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Memorial Polo Trophy at the Billingbear Polo Club – holding up the victory cup for a photo.

Last year, Kate cheered William on as he played in the Royal Charity Polo Cup 2022. 

And while the game Prince William took part in was helping to raise funds and awareness for charities supported by the couple, Prince Harry has also taken to playing polo across the pond. 

Last year,  he was competing in the Pacific Coast Circuit Inter-Circuit Cup, which was founded by Nacho Figueras, 45, an Argentine polo professional and model, and longtime friend of the prince. 

And Meghan was there to watch every game from the side-lines.  

Kate shared a laugh with Prince William’s cousin Peter during the event this afternoon (pictured left and right) 

The Princess and the jockey! Kate was animated as she chatted with the athlete during the event

Kate was beaming as she cheered William on from the sidelines, and could be seen sharing a laugh with jockey Frankie Dettori at the event

The Princess greeted William’s fellow polo players with a kiss on the cheek as she attended the charity match

Cheeky Kate gave Prince William a gentle tap on the behind in a rare public display of affection yesterday as they joined Charles and Camilla for the event. 

The Princess joined other senior royals including her husband the Prince and Charles and Camilla for a regal procession through Edinburgh.

She and Prince William joined Camilla to watch on as Charles was presented with the Crown of Scotland during his Scottish Coronation at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh. 

The ceremony, at St Giles’ Cathedral, was a key part of Royal Week, with Charles and Camilla undertaking several engagements in Scotland.

And despite the formality of the occasion, it appeared Kate was in a playful mood – at one point in the service, tapping her husband gently on the behind.

Prince William, who has regularly paid polo over the years, appeared delighted to be back in the saddle 

The Prince donned a smart pair of white jodhpurs and a navy blue polo shirt as he took to the field on Thursday

Prince William, who has played in a number of charity polo matches over the years appeared excited to be playing 

Revealing his royal tactics? William appeared to lift a finger to his lips as he chatted with Kate and other spectators at the event 

Ahead of the match, the Prince of Wales could be seen chatting with his wife the Princess (pictured) 

The couple, who yesterday attended the King’s Scottish coronation in Edinburgh, were relaxed ahead of the match 

The royal mother-of-three looked regal in the bespoke Catherine Walker coat dress, which she has worn on a number of occasions in the past, as she joined other senior royals for a regal procession through the city.

The design features incredibly neat tailoring, a longer length and a luxe velvet collar. 

Meanwhile earlier this week, she attended Wimbledon for a special ceremony to honour her close friend Roger Federer. 

The Princess was among those enthusiastically applauding as Federer was honoured for his stellar sporting achievements on Centre Court following his retirement from the game last year. 

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