Kate Middleton recently displayed her playful nature by bending a royal protocol with a cheeky ‘love tap’ to Prince William on the red carpet, as noted by a body language expert.

This light-hearted interaction was captured during the BAFTA Awards at London’s Royal Festival Hall in February 2023, showcasing a tender moment between the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Despite usually avoiding public displays of affection, the princess’s spontaneous gesture was seen as a ‘flirty dare’ that captivated royal enthusiasts worldwide.

Judi James, a body language expert, remarked that Kate’s playful gesture, paired with a ‘chuckling and equally flirty whisper in her husband’s ear,’ portrayed Prince William as a relatable and endearing figure, rather than strictly regal or formal.

Ms. James told the Daily Mail, “As a soft power move, it highlights that Kate is far from being a royal pushover.”

She further elaborated, “Initially, Kate offered her hand for William to clasp, which he seemingly declined. Instead of leaving her gloved hand hanging, she swiftly turned the gesture into a playful reprimand coupled with a loving tap.”

In response, a typically reserved William, now 43, wore a ‘bashful facial expression’ and a ‘sheepish, smitten grin’ as he looked on at his beloved wife in earnest. 

Describing the prince and princess as ‘famously competitive’, Ms James noted that the pair’s ‘mutual, prolonged eye-gazing also illustrates a sense of flirtation’.

The lighthearted moment between the loved-up Prince and Princess of Wales was captured at the Bafta Awards at London’s Royal Festival Hall in February 2023

According to body language expert Judi James, Kate’s playful ‘love tap’ combined with a ‘chuckling and equally flirty whisper in her husband’s ear’ shows that Kate ‘is no royal doormat’

‘It’s Kate who appears to playfully take their flirting a little too far with the offer of a hand hold, though,’ she added.

This flirtatious gesture is typically only caught during Kate and William’s ‘private moments’, with Ms James noting that ‘it is not in their signature body language repertoire’. 

‘So, Kate was either being spontaneous in the moment or she might have been cheekily seeing if her husband would break a royal “rule” for the night,’ she added.

The clip of the humorous interaction was later published on social media and delighted royal fans who were quick to comment on William and Kate’s ‘adorable’ and ‘sweet’ relationship. 

‘So adorable and loving!,’ said one royal fan, while another praised Kate’s ‘good move’, adding: ‘Looks like she’s having fun, something that most of us are missing’.

Meanwhile, others suggested that the fun-loving moment between the royal couple showed how the future King and Queen are ‘no different than us’. 

‘Just like any other wife, gives her husband a little patch of affection.’  

Indeed, Kate, now 44, is also not the first royal woman to have broken royal protocol by engaging in some lighthearted and tactile fun with her husband.

Ms James suggests that Kate playfully taps William as ‘a playful reprimand for the refusal’ to hold her hand 

Ms James notes that the display ‘it is not in Kate and William’s signature body language repertoire’. She adds that the princess might have been cheekily seeing if her husband would break a royal ‘rule’ for the night’

Queen Camilla was also previously spotted going against the royal etiquette of spatial distance by giving King Charles a playful ‘love tap’ as they bid farewell to the Emperor and Empress of Japan in 2024. 

For the star-studded 2023 Baftas, Kate donned a glamorous white Alexander McQueen one-shoulder gown with black gloves, a dress she had previously worn to the same event four years prior.

However, the dress had since undergone minor alterations, with the floral detailing on the shoulder swapped for a sweeping train of material.

Meanwhile, William, Ms James noted, was ‘dressed to kill’ in a black velvet double-breasted jacket. 

‘William is normally a conservative dresser but this jacket pushes those boundaries. It suggests he’s happy to be doing a little peacocking of his own and receive attraction and approval signals from his wife,’ she added.

It remains unknown whether the prince and princess will make an appearance at this year’s upcoming Bafta Awards, set to be held on February 22. 

The star-studded event is frequently attended by the royal couple given William’s role as Bafta President since 2010.

But 2023 marked the first time the pair had attended the biggest night in UK cinema in three years, with the couple pictured chatting to some of the nominated stars, alongside the event’s host, Alison Hammond. 

For the star-studded 2023 Baftas, Kate donned a glamorous white Alexander McQueen one-shoulder gown with black gloves. Meanwhile, William, Ms James noted, was ‘dressed to kill’ in a black velvet double-breasted jacket

It remains unknown whether the prince and princess will make an appearance at this year’s upcoming Bafta Awards, set to be held on February 22. The star-studded event is frequently attended by the royal couple given William’s role as Bafta President since 2010

At the time, instances of William and Kate’s more flirtatious and fun-loving nature were scarcely seen – with the prince and princess often opting for a more reserved nature during public engagements in line with traditional royal etiquette. 

But on this occasion, according to Ms James, the pair ‘happily turn a working event into a date night’ and were unafraid to showcase their fairytale romance more than two decades after they first met. 

Rather than a unique occurrence, Kate’s ‘love tap’ was the start of the growing public displays of her and William’s playful relationship.

13 months after their Baftas appearance, the Princess of Wales announced the devastating news that she had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing ‘preventative’ chemotherapy. 

In September 2024, the Waleses shared an update about Kate’s cancer journey in a deeply personal and intimate three-minute video as Kate confirmed she had completed a course of preventative chemotherapy.

In the deeply moving clip released by Kensington Palace, the royal mother-of-three also shared how the diagnosis had shaped her relationship with her husband.

‘This time has above all reminded William and me to reflect and be grateful for the simple yet important things in life, which so many of us often take for granted. Of simply loving and being loved,’ she said.

According to Ms James, the emotional video ‘showed a much more tactile, openly adoring and even passionate side to their body language as a couple’. 

She added that Kate’s playful ‘love tap’ may also ‘hint that she would like to push the boundaries very slightly in public, too.’ 

Since Kate’s cancer diagnosis, the Prince and Princess of Wales have become increasingly more forthcoming with their affection for each other, while also continuing with their subtly flirty glances, coy smiles and reassuring smiles.

Most recently, William was captured kissing his wife’s hand when they attended the Royal Variety Performance in London in December last year.

The performance marked the sixth time William and Kate have attended the show together, and the princess’s first since she announced she was in remission from cancer.

Indeed, according to royal historian Amanda Foreman, William and Kate are ‘more loved-up than ever’ following a particularly challenging few years for the couple, as they look towards soon celebrating their 15th anniversary. 

Speaking to PEOPLE, Ms Foreman said: ‘What they have been through over the last few years has been so terrible.

‘That either drives couples apart, or, in their case, it brings them together.’