Kate Middleton motherly 'need to care' for Harry showed as he and William had their moment of reconciliation
Prince Philip received a final goodbye from his loved ones at an emotional funeral on Saturday, April 17. Meanwhile, there may have been a moment of possible reconciliation between his grandsons William and Harry.
Speaking to the Mirror, body language experts Bruce Lipton and Judi James analyzed the family reunion at the somber occasion after relentless reports of fallout and tension in the royal ranks.
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Harry and William walked alongside their grandfather's coffin before taking seats on opposite sides of the chapel. Bruce highlighted the moment when Kate stared over at her brother-in-law during the service, saying it could be because she "wants to keep an eye on him" and perhaps "feels a mother’s need to care for him." Meanwhile, Judi noted how the brothers walking away together could be "the moment of possible reconciliation that we had all be hoping for."
Harry and William solemnly walked behind Philip's coffin for a short procession around the castle, joining senior royal members, Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward. Upon entering the chapel, the brothers were seated apart as the family was split onto the two sides of the quadrangle.
"As they enter the church, Prince Harry is directly across from Kate Middleton," Bruce noted. "Both of them seem more comfortable at looking at the coffin rather than across at each other. Eye contact, one of the most powerful triggers of the limbic system, is definitely being avoided here."
He explained: "This feeling could be presented by the ‘elephant in the room’ trigger. Kate, the 'other lady' in relation to Meghan, will obviously have an opinion on previous events. It would not be uncommon for the relationships between two wives to impact the feelings of the men in the relationship."
Bruce noted how Prince Harry immediately looked away when he caught Kate's gaze as the choir began to sing.
"As the choir begins to sing, there is a snapshot, just for a second, where Kate looks directly across to Prince Harry and as he catches her gaze, he immediately looks away and above. Looking above can, in certain circumstances, be a search for relief," he continued. "It relieves pressure in the thoracic region and opens up the airways to oxygenate the system. Again, because it was automatic, almost immediate, this would be a definitive observable example of being ‘uncomfortable.'"
Bruce noted that "Kate has an almost ‘fight-like’ stare – directed at straight at Prince Harry. This is very unusual behavior from Kate. Again, we don’t know why she is staring straight at him, all we know is that she is."
According to him, "males have a higher tendency to stare than females, especially in confrontational situations," but the "roles are reversed here, Kate must be experiencing a certain type of powerful emotion, maybe some inner voice that she wants to express but can only come out via a stare due to the situation."
"Kate's body language speaks volumes here - it may be that she is concerned for Prince Harry, she wants to keep an eye on him, with him being over there she may be feeling a mother’s need to care for him," he added.
However, the moment that showed the most honest feelings between the trio came when they gathered for a chat on their way out, Judi and Bruce said.
"Here we see Harry joining up with William and Kate. Being welcomed into the group with open arm gestures and opening up their thoracic areas to each other," Bruce explained. "William and Kate taking a step back so that Harry can join in. And as they walk up the hill, it’s Kate who steps away to allow Harry and William to walk together, as they have done so often in the past. With the formal structuring and placements at an end, two brothers doing what comes natural to them, walking and chatting like they have done all their lives."
Meanwhile, Judi noted how Harry "appeared to avoid all eye contact with the other royals" on the way out after the service. "He was carrying his service program nervously and even tapped it on the side of his leg as he waited in what could have been seen as a gesture of silent impatience, hinting that he was finding the moments with the royal group difficult," she explained.
"It was only when the service was over and the royals began leaving the chapel that we finally saw Harry eye-check William and then walk up between William and Kate to chat. Kate fell back to talk to another party, leaving the two brothers walking alone, talking in the moment of possible reconciliation that we had all be hoping for," Judi added.