Expert says Prince William 'missed cue' to hold hands with Kate Middleton at BAFTAs

Prince William had expected more of the "flirty whispering" he and Kate Middleton were doing while walking the red carpet at the BAFTAs that he missed her cue to hold hands.

A viral video showed the Princess of Wales attempting to interlace fingers with her husband but he chose that moment to wave at the crowd. She ended up getting a pat on the back instead. Netizens claimed he had snubbed his wife's efforts to show PDA.

But body language expert Judi James said the couple was "more tactile than usual" at the BAFTAs. She said that the Prince of Wales simply missed the "cue" to hold hands with his wife since they were whispering to each other closely from the start.

She told the Mirror, "They were clearly more tactile than usual for this red-carpet appearance and their very glamorous styling gave them the look of an A-list power couple. Like all good A-listers, Kate seemed to be using tie-signs or non-verbal cues to help choreograph their movements but there was one small moment when they appeared to fall out of sync, possibly due to the fact that William seemed unable to keep his eyes off his stunning wife."

She pointed out the moment when Kate Middleton "pushes her right hand out towards William's in what looks like a cue to hold hands." But he "mistakenly leans in to suggest he is expecting more of the flirty whispering they have been doing and raises his hand as his head gets closer, missing Kate's offer."

In return, James said that the mum-of-three "rewards" her husband with "a pat on the bum." She called this gesture "both a sexy ritual of appreciation and a small reprimand for missing her cue."

Meanwhile, lip-reading expert Jeremy Freeman analysed what transpired before Kate Middleton tapped Prince William on his bum. He said that she had "scolded" him for "ignoring" something although he did not say what it is.

A video from their appearance at the BAFTAs shows how something seemingly catches the princess' attention as they walked past a crowd, causing her to looks back. She then turns to her husband and says according to Freeman, "How did you miss that?" to which Prince William replied, "What?" Kate Middleton adds, "Stop ignoring" and he asks, "Ignoring who?" before she tapped him on the bum.