‘the bonds between kate and charlotte are visible’

PLAYING DOUBLES

There’s nothing like a mother’s bond with her daughter, particularly when they share so many of the same passions and a similar cheeky sense of humour. And when the Princess of Wales and her daughter, Princess Charlotte, eight, took their seats in the royal box at Wimbledon to watch Carlos Alcaraz, 20, claim his victory in the men’s singles, we were given a lovely glimpse of their close relationship.

The pair were joined by the Prince of Wales on the family outing, as the young princess enjoyed her first ever visit to the tennis tournament.

Speaking exclusively to OK!, leading body language expert Judi James was struck by Kate and Charlotte’s similarities and in particular how the eight-year-old mimicked her mum’s infectious enthusiasm for the game.

“Watching Kate’s Wimbledon outing with Charlotte gave us a glimpse into how she’s actively mentoring her daughter for royal life. Their mother/daughter relationship is maturing into a lovely friendship, similar to William’s relationship with their son George,” says Judi.

“And it was lovely to see how both Charlotte and Kate behaved like fans rather than royals during the match, with Charlotte in particular letting rip when it came to cheering Alcaraz to victory. The bonds between Kate and Charlotte are visible from the natural – and often subliminal – mirroring, which shows them in similar poses and using similar gestures too.

“When the tension of the match got too much for Charlotte she used a ‘cut-off’ ritual, placing both hands over her face. It looked like a direct mimicry of her mother. And sitting there with her stylish shades on while watching the match, she was a mini-me of elegant Kate.

“Charlotte also seems to have inherited Kate’s confidence, along with her competitiveness plus her tendency to lead. She currently has more freedom to be spontaneous in public and celebrated Alcaraz’s win by throwing both arms up into the air and appearing to ‘roar’. You’ll see too in that moment an extra ‘tell’ of favouritism for the champion, given away by the fact that her fingers were crossed in a gesture of willing good luck,”says Judi.

There were some poignant interactions during their afternoon out too, such as when Kate gently held her daughter’s chin as she chatted to her.

“Kate’s fully tuned into her daughter,” says Judi. “This synchronicity