Prince George is different to how William was at his age – ‘rather shy’

Prince George, eight, is the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and the brother of Princess Charlotte, six, and Prince Louis, three. As the heir to the throne, all eyes are on George. Does he have any traits apparent now that could give the public an idea of how he will be like as King?

Royal expert Judi James has analysed the young Prince’s body language since he made his first public appearance as a toddler.

She spoke to Express.co.uk about the differences and similarities between his physical and facial expressions and his father’s.

According to the expert, George is similar to William in some ways, but there is another member of the Royal Family he more closely resembles – and it’s not his mother.

Judi said: “George is very quickly becoming a ‘chip off the old block’ in terms of his obvious hero-worship of his dad that has led to the kind of mimicry that includes dressing like him and keeping close to his side, whether he is holding onto William’s hand or mirroring his body language state and movements.

“There is another more powerful presence that seems to have affected George’s body language though, and the traits would have to be more hereditary than acquired or learned via copying.

“Whereas the young William had a range of facial expressions that tended to produce only minor fluctuations, George seems to be more like his grandmother Diana, using a quickly-changing range of what can often look like extremes but which can also be misleading at times.”

The body language expert continued: “William generally looked quite sure of himself and at times rather demanding as a child.

“He looked curious and relatively fearless as a small baby, happily crawling away from his parents towards the bank of photographers during his first photo-call and then looking a little determined and possibly difficult with his father when he grew older.

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“The photo of him sitting with his head down while Charles seems to be either questioning him or telling him off suggests an early desire to assert himself and to openly show what he did and didn’t like.

“He showed several personality traits that have barely changed in adulthood, especially the tendency to want to be seen as mature as well as protective of the people he loves most.”

But what about George?

“Like Diana, George can look rather melancholy at times as well as rather shy, but that can change very quickly into expressions like naughtiness and fun,” Judi claimed.

“He is clearly as tactile as his grandmother, too. He only recently stopped holding his father’s hand during public appearances and he way that he wraps his arms around his father to press their heads close in a hug suggests a similar enjoyment of expressing love and affection openly and spontaneously.”

“William took a very protective role with his mother from quite an early age and we can see how George, little though he was at the time, seemed to be looking back with concern to help his mother Kate up from the grass as the couple held hands.”

Regarding typically regal traits, Judi said that “William used to display a tendency to suggest an enjoyment of the idea of the status that would come with his role as monarch”.

“Competitive with Harry, he seemed to like to assert himself at times and, as a young man, he seemed to take a slightly paternal role with Charles rather than the other way round.

“This tendency to status-endorsing has actually decreased as he has got older and he now looks like a man who has learned the value of empathy and approachability.”

As for George, he “doesn’t seem to have this sense of competitiveness or show signs of enjoying his status yet”, according to the body language expert.

“He is clearly playful and energetic and his body language rituals as he watched the football World Cup final showed he can be as spontaneous as any non-royal child but, unlike the young William, he will often stand back slightly in public and allow his much more confident sister and his younger brother be the centre of attention,” Judi added.

“He looks thoughtful and as though he sizes situations up before acting.

“These are traits William acquired with maturity but either way they should ensure both become wary and aware monarchs, both able to change when necessary and to plan how to ensure the Firm survives and thrives in the modern world.”