Hidden details in Kate and William’s engagement interview you didn’t spot at the time: 16 years on, a body language expert reveals the future Queen’s ‘calm and reliable’ nature – and some awkward moments!

The news of an imminent royal wedding for a bright-eyed 28-year-old Prince William and his university sweetheart Kate Middleton delighted royal fans around the globe. 

One month after William popped the question during a romantic Kenyan getaway on October 20, 2010, the couple announced their nuptials by conducting an exclusive interview with Tom Bradby at St James’ Palace. 

Now, 16 years since the proposal, the hidden details of the pair’s engagement interview have been revealed – with their announcement to the world a ‘stunningly prophetic’ display of Kate’s ‘calm and reliable’ position in the Firm. 

In a sweet video clip captured just prior to the interview, William jokingly quipped to his fiancée: ‘Get comfortable – we could be here a while’, while Kate adjusted herself to get in the right position on the sofa. 

According to body language expert Judi James, this outtake showcased both Kate’s silent confidence and her ability to bring out a more ‘playful’ side of William that was rarely seen in the years following his mother’s death.

She told the Daily Mail: ‘Kate shows signs that were missed at the time, of an ability to be decisive and to not act like a woman keen to depend on William for fuss or emotional support. 

‘William’s comment sees him throw a very childlike, sheepish and bashful grin at Kate.  At the time, these grins were thought to be attempts to help her relax and laugh, but this small transaction shows a different angle to their relationship.’

This ‘outtake’ is stunningly prophetic of their marriage, and William’s warning to Kate to ‘get comfortable, we could be here a while’ makes him the royal Nostradamus,’ said Ms James.

‘He is telling her to “buckle up” and get comfortable in her royal role. 

‘Their marriage has lasted and thrived for a very long while, and there is a suggestion from William’s quick comment here that it has gone exactly to plan,’ Ms James said. 

Ms James noted that during this brief period, William’s back is ‘upright and his hands clasped on his lap’, while the future King sat ‘in pose and looks like an actor would, ready and waiting to deliver his lines’.

In contrast, however, Kate is ‘still settling here’, though Ms James notes that ‘her body language shows a sense of very firm determination’.

‘She’s not showboating here, she’s just determined to get it all perfectly right, and her most powerful tell comes as she plonks her hands down on her lap in her preferred clasp,’ she explained.

Ms James noted that one particularly major aspect in the interview was the moment the couple were questioned about the short period they separated in 2007.

It marked the first and only time the pair discussed their separation publicly – a period which had been of significant interest for royal fans at the time.

William admitted: ‘We did split up for a bit. We were both very young, it was at university, we were both finding ourselves as such and being different characters. We were both trying to find our own way and growing up. It’s all worked out for the better.’

Reflecting on the time they spent apart, Kate said: ‘At the time I wasn’t very happy about it, but it made me a stronger person. You find things about yourself that maybe you hadn’t realised. I really valued that time for me.’

A few months later, with the prince apparently having realised what he was missing, they reconciled.

According to Ms James, William’s body language during this moment highlighted his ‘discomfort’, with his ‘thumb taking a swift deep dive into the clasped hands as though diving for cover and his top lip puckers, suggesting a desire to hide’.

She added: ‘Kate’s indulgent smile drops for a moment as though she’s quietly leaving him swinging in the air and William’s top lip undulates like a rabbit’s nose twitching at the sign of danger. 

‘When Kate laughs she puts a hand up to smooth her hair in a gesture hinting at some indignance and it’s here that William begins to ramble, at one point turning to look at Kate’s mouth in a cry for help or approval, but Kate’s lips are firmly closed, letting him know he’s on his own for this one.’

According to Ms James, Kate’s body language suggests she was ‘possibly less than pleased at the time’, while William ‘drops his head with a guilty-looking smile to Tom before widening his eyes and rolling them in a woah as though he’s been gently told off’.

The future Queen also appeared to shift from the quieter and more submissive stance seen at the beginning of the interview to a ‘firmer’ position as time went on, Ms James observed. 

While William spoke about his desire for both Kate and her family to be recipients of the ‘best sort of guidance’ as they navigated this new period, Ms James noted that ‘William’s insecurities show but they are met with a very complimentary sense of soft control from Kate.’

She added: ‘He shows some anxiety at the daunting task of a royal marriage but her hands register a calm and firm ability to cope and lead if necessary.

‘Kate’s hand rituals are metronomic, meaning she taps her upper hand up and down onto the hand beneath it as she speaks or listens. This gives the appearance of her being quietly in the role of conductor for the two of them.’

At a later stage in the interview, Mr Bradby asked about the role that Kate’s family had played in the engagement, noting that she has ‘close-knit family’ and that family ‘is very important to her’.

Kate responded: ‘Yes. It’s very important to me. And I hope we will be able to have a happy family ourselves. 

‘They’ve been great over the years – helping me with difficult times. We see a lot of each other and they are very, very dear to me.’ 

According to Ms James, the discussion of her family saw Kate ‘signal a desire to protect them and perhaps their privacy. Her fingers tap down onto her hand as though wanting to politely close down this line of questioning’. 

‘When she is asked about the problems of family, there is also an increase in verbal fillers from Kate with more “ums” and “you knows”, and some small, nervous, explosive laughs to suggest this is currently more of a no-go zone for her.’

William and Kate then went on to discuss the prospect of starting their own family, with the prince explaining that the pair were keen to ‘take it one step at a time’.

He added: ‘We’ll sort of get over the marriage first and then maybe look at the kids. But obviously we want a family so we’ll have to start thinking about that.’ 

During the interview, Mr Bradby also touched on William’s beloved mother, Diana, and the significance of the prince using Diana’s engagement ring to propose to Kate. 

The 12-carat oval Ceylon blue sapphire ring was given to Diana by Charles when he proposed in 1981 and had been inspired by Queen Victoria’s sapphire brooch, worn as her ‘something blue’ for her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840.

Hailed as one of the most famous pieces of jewellery in history, the sapphire and diamond engagement ring is estimated to be worth around £300,000.

William said: ‘It’s my mother’s engagement ring, and it’s very special to me, as Kate is very special to me now as well. It was only right the two were put together.

‘It was my way of making sure mother didn’t miss out on today and the excitement and the fact that we’re going to spend the rest of our lives together.’

The significance of the dazzling ring was certainly not lost on Kate, who remarked: ‘I just hope I look after it. It’s very, very special.’

When Mr Bradby asked if Kate felt ‘worried or intimidated’ at the prospect of his late mother-in-law being such a ‘massive iconic figure’, she responded: ‘Obviously I would have loved to have met her and she’s obviously an inspirational woman to look up to. 

‘Obviously, on this day and going forward and things, you know, it is a wonderful family, the members who I’ve met have achieved a lot and very inspirational and so, yes, I do.’

William then chimed in: ‘There’s no pressure, though. Like Kate said, it is about carving your own future. No one is trying to fill my mother’s shoes, what she did was fantastic. 

‘It’s about making your own future and your own destiny and Kate will do a very good job of that.’

According to Ms James, the discussion surrounding Diana saw William ‘try to diminish any emotional problems for Kate’s sake’.

She added: ‘But the tell comes as she replies and his eyes glance up and down from her face to her body in a momentary look of open adoration and pride.

‘It’s the moment when we can see that he loves her for her strength, despite his need to suggest it’s him protecting her.

‘Their eyes meet in a face-softening look of love before those attempts to minimise with his wrinkling nose shrugs and hand-shrugs to pretend it might not be an issue.’

In a powerful display of William’s conscientious nature and awareness that Kate’s life was set to irreversibly change, Ms James noted that the prince ‘clasped his hand onto Kate’s knee to try to signal reassurance that she will do well as a royal’.

However, Kate’s body language signified he had little reason to worry.

‘We might have missed it at the time, but Kate’s signals showed she already had a very firm, calm and reliable hand on both her and William’s destiny,’ Ms James noted.

It was clear that Kate was ready to wholly embrace her position as Britain’s future Queen.