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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Jennifer Newton

Prince William has 'ditched anxious gestures shared by Harry thanks to Kate Middleton'

Prince William has been receiving birthday wishes today as he celebrates turning 41.

His birthday this year is an especially poignant one as he has seen his royal role change drastically - not least in the last year.

Following the death of his grandmother the late Queen last September, he was made Prince of Wales by his father King Charles - and is now heir to the throne.

This has seen him take on more royal duties as well alongside his wife Kate, the Princess of Wales.

And according to one body language expert, William is now at the "pinnacle" of confidence - and appears to have shed anxious gestures he once shared with younger brother Prince Harry.

Prince William, who turns 41 today, with his wife Kate (PA)

Expert Darren Stanton explained: "He's become ever-so more statesman-like in recent years.

"We don’t see any of the old gestures from him that he previously displayed, which denoted a lack of confidence or feeling like a fish out of water. He's a completely different person from when he first started public appearances as a youngster.

"Some of the tell-tale gestures that we associate with William are what we call pacifying gestures, which are often used in moments of self-reassurance. We got these a lot with King Charles where he would put his hand inside his jacket.

William with younger brother Prince Harry (Getty Images)

"If you look at historic footage from Prince William and indeed Prince Harry, you will see that William inherited this gesture from his father. William often made this gesture whilst doing any public engagements or standing on the balcony with the Queen.

"William would also play with his cufflinks during his early years. Again, this is a self-reassuring gesture, designed to soothe ourselves when we’re in situations that we’re finding stressful or when we feel that we’re not in total control.

"Over the years he’s been placed in lots of social situations where anybody would probably feel a little bit anxious, however, we tend not to see that gesture as much now."

William and Kate at a wedding in Jordan earlier this month (PA)

And according to Darren, this change in body language has been encouraged by wife Kate, who also has seen her confidence in the public eye grow.

Speaking on behalf of Betfair Casino, he added: "In terms of his development as a person, I think Kate has played a large part in his development.

"When they met the two of them were not that particularly confident people, however, they’ve both developed over the years.

"With respect to Kate, she has played a major part in his development as a person, as a future monarch, and certainly when it comes to his degree of confidence in the world.

"She too has developed greatly over the years, even more so than William. She started off quite introverted, not really wanting to get involved, and now she's become a more and more integral part of the royal family - especially since their marriage.

"These two are now considered to be the most senior members of the working royal family. I definitely believe Kate’s development of confidence has also helped William to feel more at ease."

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