Before becoming the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Catherine were university sweethearts.
Prince William and Kate Middleton met while studying at St Andrew’s University in Scotland in 2001.
After dating for five years, the couple split up briefly in 2007 amid rumours that Kate disapproved of William’s party lifestyle and his reluctance to propose.
But it seems cupid’s arrow was aquiver as Kate watched William graduate from the Royal Air Force College Cranwell in April 2008.
Commenting on a video from the event, body language expert Judi James told the Daily Mail: ‘Kate’s body language here is very relatable for any woman who has been young and in love.
‘She displays all the non-verbal symptoms of a girl with something of a crush here and her very telling and spontaneous responses are a very long way from the more restrained and more regal, less openly emotional behaviours she adopted when she first joined the Royal Family officially.
‘The gestures from her here are rewarding viewing because they provide a big hint and confirmation of the mutual and very deep levels of attraction between herself and William.
‘They then waited more than a decade before relaxing enough to allow the public to see the depth of their feelings for each other in more recent appearances and especially in Kate’s cancer update video, which was like a visual love story encapsulation.
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Kate Middleton, sat next to Lady Sarah Spencer, glances across to Prince William at his RAF graduation
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It seems cupid’s arrow was aquiver as Kate watched William graduate from the Royal Air Force College Cranwell in April 2008
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Commenting on a video from the event, body language expert Judi James told the Daily Mail: ‘Kate’s body language here is very relatable for any woman who has been young and in love’
‘The narrative that backs up Kate’s displays here is also fascinating because it would suggest that, as well as her obvious “crush” stage of love, she might well have also been experiencing some anxiety.’
This was not the first graduation that Kate had watched William take part in.
Kate was seen commenting on William’s uniform during his passing out parade at Sandhurst in December 2006.
She attended the event with her parents, marking her first official public appearance at a Royal Family event.
Judi said: ‘After their very painful but temporary split in 2007, Kate might have been worried about history repeating itself.
‘Graduations are a time of change and reassessment in terms of the future and Kate, who is so obviously in love, might have been quietly hoping that William would be seeing a future with her in it now.
‘This could be partly why Kate’s body language responses and behaviours here look so very much from the teenage playbook.
‘Having gone through the split she must have felt less assured about taking their future together for granted and, thanks to the make-up, more like someone in the early and intense stages of a relationship again, despite having met William back in 2001.
‘Her non-verbal rituals suggest a desire to act cool here but she fails massively and amusingly.
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‘Graduations are a time of change and reassessment in terms of the future and Kate, who is so obviously in love, might have been quietly hoping that William would be seeing a future with her in it now,’ Judi said
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The body language expert commented: ‘Having gone through the split Kate must have felt less assured about taking their future together for granted and, thanks to the make-up, more like someone in the early and intense stages of a relationship again, despite having met William back in 2001’
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William is pictured in his RAF uniform with his fellow servicemen
‘With William sitting across the aisle with his fellow graduates Kate seems utterly unable to avoid trying to see him and to catch his eye.
‘There are some subtle moves when she throws general glances around the room that would catch William in their sweep, and initially we can see her turning her head at a full 45-degree angle to try to catch William’s eye.
‘But here Kate finally throws subtlety to the wind, making one defining move by leaning back and arching her back to look around behind Diana’s sister in the next chair.
‘This “Meercat” action is so similar to the behaviour of a young teenager spotting a boy she fancies at a party and Kate even follows the gesture up by turning to comment to her friend before flicking her hair about in a female “peacocking” display to get noticed and adding a perfectly flirty-looking smile aimed into mid-air.
‘There is a small sigh from her and she raises her chin, again in what looks like an attempt to get William’s attention.
‘There are some subtler glances around behind and in front of Diana’s sister but then the classic teen behaviour of giggling and whispering with her friend, with both falling apart laughing at one point.
‘Giggling and whispering are often excited teen responses to get attention from a guy they fancy and there is even some hand-to-mouth covering to add to the sense of secret comments.
‘When Kate turns her face back though her expression is more the kind of demure look she adopted for so long as wife of the future king.
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Kate stands with Diana’s sister, Lady Sarah Spencer
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Pictured: The guestlist for William’s RAF Cranwell graduation which includes ‘Miss K Middleton’
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William is pictured in his RAF uniform in April 2008
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William graduates from RAF Cranwell receiving his ‘wings’ from his father Prince Charles
‘There was another huge “tell” in terms of her feelings though as she walked out of the ceremony side-by-side with William.
‘While his smile looked like a very tempered version of “the look of love”, in keeping with his understandable desire to suppress emotions in public, Kate is beaming so hard, with fully rounded cheeks and an intense eye and mouth smile, that she turns her head to her left, away from William and brings her hand up to her noticeably ring-less hand to her face to act as a cut-off or shield.
‘This coy behaviour from both of them managed to make them look like a bride and groom here, seeming to pave the way for their engagement announcement in 2010.’
In September 2008, Buckingham Palace announced that William would begin train in to become a full-time pilot with the Royal Air Force’s Search and Rescue Force (SARF).
Before ending his active service in 2013, he conducted 156 search and rescue operations, which resulted in 149 people being rescued.
In a full circle moment, William attended the Sovereign’s Parade at RAF Cranwell last September, wearing his Wing Commander’s Uniform for an officers’ graduation ceremony.
He delivered an address to the new officers on the parade ground, saying: ‘We live in a time of change and uncertainty, and you, as the future of the Royal Air Force, are the ones who will ensure that we are able to adapt and face future threats.’
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Charles and Camilla are pictured at the graduation
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The Prince of Wales attends the Sovereign’s Parade on behalf of Charles at the Royal Air Force College in Cranwell on September 12, 2024
Speaking about his time at the RAF training base, he said: ‘I am delighted to see so many family and friends here – I know their love and support will have been instrumental in getting you to this point.
‘Whilst I didn’t graduate on this exact Parade Ground, I did graduate from flying training here so I know something about the celebrations that will come later.’
Just as William followed in Charles’ footsteps, Prince George, the Waleses’ eldest child, has reportedly taken flying lessons, becoming the youngest member of the Royal Family to learn to fly.
William once described George as a ‘potential pilot in the making,’ meaning there may be a future in the RAF for the young prince.
