Every summer, the Wimbledon men’s final marks the beginning of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ summer vacation. I think it’s more than likely that one or both of them will pop up one more time this summer (probably for the Commonwealth Games), but that will be it until they drop off Prince George at Eton. All of which means that the British tabloids are out of content for two months or so, and thus, it’s the start of the tabloids’ silly season. One prime example is this Daily Mail piece about Prince William and Kate’s PDA in the weeks before their summer holiday began. You see, William and Kate were photographed embracing once (the Three Peaks Challenge) and cheek-kissing each other once (the charity polo game) and that’s enough for a body-language expert to spend two full pages discussing the Waleses’ intense romantic attachment. Don’t believe your lying eyes, people!

Ever since the Prince and Princess of Wales first laid eyes on each other at St Andrews University in 2001, royal fans have continually delighted in following their fairytale love story. But while Prince William and Catherine’s love and adoration for one another has certainly never wavered, the couple have become much more relaxed about public displays of affection (PDA) in recent years.

Showcasing their tactile tenderness in public, the Prince and Princess of Wales shared particularly moving romantic embraces when Kate, 44, completed the gruelling Three Peaks challenge in June, and last week after William’s team’s victory in a charity polo match and while seated in the Royal Box at the men’s Wimbledon final.

After her charity walk, where she climbed the highest mountains in Scotland, England, and Wales within 24 hours, Catherine was greeted by her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, as well as her and William’s children, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince Louis. But while everyone made sure to congratulate Kate with a hug, it was the future King’s tight hold on his wife that left fans particularly emotional.

According to body language expert Judi James, it was a moment that offered a ‘glimpse’ into ‘the honest intensity of their feelings for each other’ and what they have previously been hiding behind closed doors. She told the Daily Mail: ‘Their rituals suggest there’s been no real change in the intensity of their love for one another; what’s happened is they have finally felt safe enough to trust enough (not each other but the public and the press) to show it. It’s a hug that suggests all inhibitions are being jettisoned as the desire to greet and cherish takes over. And for the Waleses is it yet another sign that the latest chapter of their marriage, the one where they feel free to show their levels of mutual love and adoration by more tactile behaviours in public, is still very much a part of their personal and generational royal brand now.’

‘Diana’s marriage created a salutary lesson for her son William in terms of how risky and dangerous emotional baring can be for the royals,’ explained Ms James. ‘The rabid obsession that occurred when a leading royal broke through the frost of protocol and behaved like a normal, living, breathing and loveable human being only seemed to prove to the Firm that particular cork needed putting back in the bottle. William always acted like a man concerned that his own wife might go down the same path and become a lightning rod for intrusive attention. This fear and desire to protect Kate led to several years of emotional suppression in public.’

The royal pair revealed their connection once again at the DMMI Royal Charity Polo Cup in Windsor Great Park earlier this month. William, who was on the winning team, was spotted kissing Catherine on her cheek, before the future queen wrapped her arm around her husband’s waist as they strolled the Berkshire grounds.

However, while Kate and William may have increased their acts of PDA, these are ‘performed exclusively for each other, with the world being allowed to have a glimpse’. James added that, in contrast, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s instances of PDA ‘tend to be display rituals to show the world how in love and close they are. They are constantly keen to present that narrative of their love to the world,’ she added. For Ms James, the heartwarming embrace the royal couple shared following Kate’s gruelling challenge is ‘the kind of embrace that shares its strongest messages exclusively between the two of them’.

The Three Peaks Challenge sees participants attempt to climb the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales within 24 hours: Ben Nevis, the highest peak in Scotland and the UK, standing at 4,413ft; Scafell Pike, the highest peak in England, standing at 3,209ft and Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), the highest peak in Wales, standing at 3,560ft. The princess was driven between the peaks – Scotland, then England and finally Wales – by her team.

Kate chose to hide the exact amount she managed to raise, but the Daily Mail understands it was in the region of £1,000 to £2,000. While attending Wimbledon Championships last week, the princess revealed she has been ‘blown away’ by the ‘generous donations’ she had received.

[From The Daily Mail]

I’m sorry, Kensington Palace went overboard with the Three Peaks keenery for weeks and the sum total of the donations was only between £1,000 to £2,000. That’s bonkers?? Like, the Sussex Squad can raise that amount (organically, just through social media) in about an hour to mark a special occasion. As for all of the breathless embiggening for William and Kate’s PDA… lol. And poor Judy James reveals her true agenda with the mention of Harry and Meghan as well. She’s arguing, in essence, that Harry and Meghan’s affection is performative because they’re trying to prove that they’re so hot for each other. Meanwhile, William and Kate are literally performing robotic-coworker PDA for the waiting photographers, and William has looked like a hostage in that marriage for years now. But sure. People see what they want to see.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images and Kensington Palace’s social media.