Prince William’s hug was “authentic and genuine”, a body language expert has revealed.
The future King broke royal protocol on Thursday to give an overwhelmed royal fan a big hug.
On a two-day visit to Scotland, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were greeted by crowds in Glasgow.
When seeing an overwhelmed pensioner crying due to meeting him, William gave him a warm embrace.
And body language expert Darren Stanton believes there was true emotion behind the hug.
Prince William embracing a fan
PA
William was greeted by fans outside the University of Glasgow
PA
Mr Stanton said: “During his appearance in Glasgow, Prince William was seen hugging an emotional elderly man as he interacted with crowds. Such a moment marks an unprecedented demonstration of just how authentic, empathetic and open Kate and William are.
“As per royal protocol, the Queen will never shake hands with anyone with bare hands. You’ll notice if she’s shaking hands with another person, she will always be wearing gloves and it’s one of the traditions she has adopted throughout her reign.
“William embracing the elderly man is a rare outpouring of genuine emotion from a senior Royal and you can tell from the man’s face it was one of true elation, with the moment sure to stick with him for the rest of his days.
“This was a real authentic connection and not one faked for the sake of being in the public arena. You can see the sincerity in William’s face as he engulfed his arms around the man, with the Prince not fazed about being in such close proximity."
He continued on behalf of Slingo: “Kate’s reaction, meanwhile, is one of pure joy and her face is totally engaged, flashing a huge smile, as she witnessed the sweet embrace.
“The hug demonstrates that William and Kate do truly care about people and do not take their privileged position for granted.
“It marks the way forward for when William does eventually become King, with his compassion potentially allowing for him to become one of the most popular monarchs in history.
“We have never seen such an outpouring of love from the public too, when it comes to senior Royals, since Diana.
“It’s clear the public have very much taken William and Kate into their hearts and demonstrations such as this one will no doubt cement the nation’s affection for them.”
