It's a special day for the royal family! The Duchess of Cambridge turns 37 on Wednesday, Jan. 9. While it's likely she'll have a celebration with her husband in the evening, the Duke of Cambridge had a professional engagement that kept him away from his wife for the bulk of the day. Prince William's body language while apart from Kate Middleton on her birthday today makes it seem as though he's concerned about being apart from her — though not for the reason you might expect.
William is celebrating the 30th anniversary of London's Air Ambulance at a tea party held at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel. This, according to reports from People, means Kate will "likely spend most of the day with 8-month-old Prince Louis" (her other children will also be busy at school). As a reminder, it's not unusual for couples to spend time apart from each other, even on birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. Work happens, even when you're royal.
So, is Will missing Kate while away from her on her special day? Well, sort of. We asked Traci Brown, body language expert and author of Persuasion Point: Body Language and Speech for Influence, to look at pictures of him at the event today and her responses are... interesting.
"He’s really interested what the little girl is showing him," says Brown. "I think he’s only missing Kate to hold the presents in his arms! Looks a little clumsy."
"His eyebrows are raised so he’s emphasizing a question about what’s in his hand and waiting for an answer," she continues. "Again, I think he could use a helper!" Given that Will and Kate often do events together, it's certainly possible he misses having her by his side.
"He’s hearing something good here about what the future holds," Brown adds. "See how he’s clasping his hands together?That can mean positive expectation."
In conclusion, it doesn't seem like he's missing his wife too much on her birthday. "No, he’s not missing Kate from an emotional standpoint," Brown concludes. "I think he could use her for logistics, though!"
Ah, marriage. Doesn't it sound wonderful?
That being said, a reason why William isn't too concerned about missing his wife's birthday could likely be that he's only missing part of the day. People reports that their entire family (with all three children) will realistically get together in the evening for a small birthday celebration in honor of their lovely mother and wife.
In this case, I don't think we can be too hard on William for not deeply missing his wife at the event. This is part of his job, and he'll see his wife and family soon enough.
