Prince William's Apparent Lack Of Chivalry Toward Kate Middleton Explained By Body Language Expert

Prince William faced criticism for his apparent lack of chivalry toward wife Kate Middleton during a recent public appearance, but according to a body language expert, the couple kept their distance from each other for a "practical" reason.

Royal fans compared Prince William and Prince Harry's treatment of their respective wives during their royal walkabout outside Windsor Castle Saturday. The Duke of Sussex was praised for opening and closing the door of their car for Meghan Markle, while Prince William received criticism for not extending the same courtesy to Princess Kate.

Photos of the outing also showed a large gap between Prince William and Middleton when they first got out of the car, while Prince Harry and Markle kept close and held hands.

Judi James, a communication and body language expert who appears on a number of high-profile TV and radio programs, weighed in on Prince William's body language toward his wife.

"William and Kate rarely touch in public and only seem to hold hands when they are out of the public eye," James explained to Page Six. "This is partly to do with tradition, and as the future king and queen, they need to be seen as two individual royals rather than just as a touch-bonded couple like Harry and Meghan."

The U.K.-born body language expert added, "It is also a practical move, as to keep parting to shake hands with hosts and the public would become boring. They tend to present as the royal power couple instead, with their arms hanging down by their sides in a gesture of confidence and inclusion."

Prince William and Middleton reunited with Prince Harry and Markle Saturday to greet well-wishers and admire floral tributes and cards left outside Windsor Castle to honor Queen Elizabeth II, who died at age 96 Thursday.

Prince William made the foursome's reunion possible by inviting Prince Harry and Markle to join him and his wife on the walkabout, Kensington Palace said.

The Prince of Wales felt that it "was an important show of unity at an incredibly difficult time for the family," an unnamed royal source told People.

"It's such an extraordinary historical moment and also a deeply personal one for the family that you'd hope and think that all members of the family would unite and support [the King] especially. And perhaps some of those wounds can be healed in the process," an unnamed palace insider told the outlet.

Journalist and commentator Camilla Tominey, the associate editor of the Daily Telegraph and a royal expert for NBC, praised the move and suggested that the Queen would have been "proud" of Prince William for his gesture to Prince Harry amid their rumored feud.