Prince William 'Not in a Calm State' as Body Language Expert Decodes BAFTA Appearance
Judi James says royal couple’s body language hinted at pressure behind the scenes.
Prince William and Princess Kate arrived at the 2026 BAFTA Awards looking every bit the future king and queen. But according to one body language expert, all did not seem very well behind the scenes. This was the couple's first BAFTA appearance in 3 years and coincided with the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Judi James told Hello! magazine that while William and Kate Middleton “delivered their usual, impeccable red carpet A-list glamour” at the London event, there were subtle clues that all was not entirely at ease. She pointed to “a handful of tells that might reflect the undeniable tensions of the past week.”
In James’s view, the couple’s body language departed from their typical red carpet dynamic. Royals, she explained, tend to move in quiet synchrony at public events. “[The royals] walk side by side with their arms hanging loose at their sides, with a closeness of the dangling inner hands suggesting a desire to clasp hands here or perhaps to perform the kind of signature truncated touches, pats, and strokes they often give each other to support each other at events like this,” James said.
This time, she observed something different. “Instead of touching, though, we can see the fingers of William’s right hand slightly curled so that his index finger touches his thumb, hinting at a self-soothe ritual,” James added, suggesting the gesture indicated underlying tension. She also noted what she described as “some anxiety” from the 43-year-old prince at one point during the evening, “where his lips [were] pulled inward and his brows pulled into a small frown.”
The BAFTAs marked William and Middleton’s first public appearance since Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest. The prince wore a burgundy velvet Giorgio Armani evening jacket with black trousers, while the princess opted for a blush-toned Gucci gown. Though they posed for photographs at the Royal Festival Hall, they did not stop to speak with the press.
Inside the ceremony, William offered a personal comment when asked whether he had seen Hamnet, the film about the death of William Shakespeare’s young son. “I need to be in quite a calm state, and I am not at the moment,” he said, according to the Daily Mail. “I will save it."
William is frustrated because it’s still likely to be a problem on his plate when he eventually becomes King, a royal insider has told the outlet. Adding, "I’m sure the Prince and Princess of Wales have been itching to say something publicly to distance themselves, but they have to be cautious because of the police investigation. I think William and Kate are acutely aware that this is a scandal that won’t be going away for a long time. It’s a mess left by Andrew and the late Queen, and although His Majesty is very much in charge, William is frustrated."
The remark came days after Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, was arrested on his birthday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, linked to allegations that he shared confidential trade documents with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during his time as a British trade envoy. He was detained and later released under investigation. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
