Kate Middleton has a ‘signature’ butt tap move for Prince William

Kate Middleton can’t stop showing off her affection to her husband, Prince William.

The Duchess of Cambridge, 41, has often given her man love taps at public events, and it’s quickly becoming her “signature” move.

According to body language expert Judi James, the playful, light smacks on the behind are a symbol of the duo’s fondness for each other.

Middleton most recently patted the 41-year-old’s backside during King Charles’ Scottish coronation at St Giles Cathedral on Wednesday.

James divulged to the Mirror that the mother of three “did her now signature bum-pat gesture and the couple tend to use eye contact and exchange smiles as they speak.” 

She noted that there is a “contrast in the way” that William and Middleton communicate versus Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla.

“The King and Queen are more like a ventriloquist act — both muttering asides to the other in a way that doesn’t look like real conversation. But the ability to mutter, may feel comforting for them both at events like this,” the royal expert added.

She explained that the monarch, 74, and Camilla, 75, “overlap” when they talk to each other, which suggests “mutual support and comfort.” However, the two scarcely have eye contact with one another.

This act is dissimilar to the Prince and Princess of Wales, who usually show signs of “attentive listening” to each other.

At the event, James noted that the two “did their signature ritual of adding either touch or truncated touch to communicate with both words and non-verbal gestures that show emotion.”

Charles also shared the limelight with Camilla, Middleton and William, and seemed less tense at his crowning in Edinburgh, Scotland, than at his official coronation back in May.

“His body language projected less of the ongoing signals of tension and anxiety than at his actual coronation and he wore a warm, beaming smile most of the time,” she said.

Middleton has softly slapped William’s behind on previous occasions as well.

In February, they attended the 2023 British Academy Film Awards where they strolled down the red carpet together and Middleton gave him a cheeky tap.

The flirty bit was caught by fans across social media and lip-readers later determined what had actually gone down.

Expert Sophia Martell told the Daily Mail at the time that she was “recreating” a cute moment that she had just seen in the crowd.

According to Martell, Middleton asked William if he had witnessed the same thing she had. 

“That man … he tapped her on the bottom,” she purportedly said, to which William reportedly answered back: “Did he?”

Middleton then gave William a bump on his rear before allegedly saying: “That was so funny.”