Prince William and Kate Middleton's real reaction to breaking royal protocol in Jamaica revealed by body language expert

Prince William and Kate Middleton's real reaction to a broken royal protocol has been revealed by a body language expert, Judi James

Prince William and Kate Middleton's real reaction
(Image credit: Pool/Samir Hussein / Contributor / Getty Images)

Judi James, a body language expert has revealed Prince William and Kate Middleton's real reaction when the Jamaica Bobsleigh & Skeleton team broke various royal protocols.


While in Jamaica on their tour of the Caribbean in celebration of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, Prince William and Kate Middleton met with the Jamaica Bobsleigh & Skeleton team and jumped into their bobsleighs to see what it was like inside the cramped toboggan.

Although the royals laughed and smiled and seemed relatively at ease, some key royal protocols were broken as one of the team members pulled out a phone and took a selfie with the royal couple.

As members of the Royal Family, it is typical that royals will refuse to take a selfie and should try to avoid them where possible. As Prince William is second in the royal line of succession and will one day be King, it is inappropriate for him to be taking selfies, even if on royal duty. 

This royal protocol being broken was caught on camera and a body language expert has deciphered the royal couple's real reaction to this rule being ignored.

Prince William

(Image credit: Pool/Samir Hussein / Contributor/ Getty)

Speaking to woman&home, Judi James, a body language expert has explained that actually there were various protocols being ignored during this interaction.

"There are quite a few royal ‘rules’ being broken here apart from the one about selfies," began Judi. "Royal status used to be all about space and height. A royal was expected to have a large space around them to imply an aura of specialness and to sit or stand higher than other people, hence the large throne seat."

The expert continued to say that this idea about space has still been implemented by more recent leaders who are keen to exude a powerful stance.

"These traits are also used by world leaders like Putin to emphasize status, with his distance-creating board tables and Trump, who used to sit in Trump Towers in a large seat that was much higher than the lower, smaller seat for guests at the other side of his desk," said Judi.

"It’s a ‘diminishing’ technique that makes lesser mortals feel smaller and therefore less important," said Judi as she explained that in comparison to these leaders, the royal couple looked comfortable and at ease at being in a less powerful position.

"In this pose though, William is the lowest person in the shot, sitting ‘trapped’ inside the small yellow bobsleigh while Kate sits behind him. They are both closely surrounded as the selfie is taken but, as more modern royals, they both look incredibly comfortable with the experience," said Judi.

Kate Middleton

(Image credit: Pool/Samir Hussein / Contributor / Getty Images)

Judi added that although the couple seemed unbothered by this interaction, this could also be because the couple is incredibly prepared ahead of time and know exactly what type of interactions will take place.

"There is probably little on this tour that has been left to chance and they are usually tightly choreographed in advance, meaning invites to play drums or pop inside a bobsleigh are very unlikely to have been left to chance, meaning the couple is presumably as relaxed as they look about the pose," concluded Judi.

The selfie taken with the bobsleigh team was then posted on the Jamaican team's social media page as they spoke about it being an 'honor' to meet the royal couple who loved sitting in one of the 'history-making bobsleighs'.

William and Kate were so at ease with this selfie that they even took time to respond to this post. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Instagram account commented on the post, "Lovely to meet you all today."

Prince William's Caribbean tour is mirroring Queen's Golden Jubilee visit as he and Kate continue to visit some of the key parts of the Caribbean that Her Majesty herself has visited. The royal couple will soon leave Jamaica and then head to the Bahamas where they will end their tour and head back to their London home, Kensington Palace on Saturday, March 26.

Laura Harman

Laura is the Entertainment Editor for woman&home who primarily covers television, film, and celebrity news. Laura loves drinking and eating and can often be found trying to get reservations at London's trendiest restaurants. When she's not wining and dining, Laura can also be found travelling, baking, and hiking with her dog.