A body language expert analyses 13 iconic photos of Prince William and Kate Middleton

When it comes to reading nonverbal cues, Patti Wood, is a pro. She holds advanced degrees in body language and nonverbal communication, is the author of several books on the topic, including SNAP: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language & Charisma, and is frequently called upon by law enforcement, hospitals, universities, government agencies, and the media to decipher what’s really going on in a tricky situation. Here, Wood chats with Reader’s Digest about what’s really going on in these photos of the future king and his long-time love and wife of nine years, Catherine Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge.

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Long before they became the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate were just a couple of college kids. OK, well maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration considering Prince William was born a future king. But you might not realise it looking at this adorable photo of the couple on the day of their graduation ceremony at St. Andrew’s University on June 23, 2005, in Scotland. “What I love about them in this photo is how spontaneous and unposed they are,” Wood says. “There’s so much joy, energy, and movement in this photo. She’s leaning her body into his, and he’s responding by creating a heart shape with his body and hers. I also love the intimacy of her hand on his belly and how he gently places his hand on her to show connection.”

This photo was taken moments after William finished playing the Field Game in an “old boys match” at Eton College on March 18, 2006. The young couple appears to be sharing a sweet kiss (and perhaps even a secret?), but what really stands out to Wood is how the young couple’s bodies mirror one another. “Their matching touch shows they feel equal love and strength in the relationship,” she explains.

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In this photo from October 23, 2010, in which William and Kate attend the wedding of their friends, Harry Meade & Rosie Bradford, Wood sees the hints of the young couple’s upcoming engagement. “Wedding photos can be difficult to read,” Wood points out, but it’s clear from this one that these two are in a really good place. She clearly has his full attention with the way he’s turned his head towards her. Wood also notes that their elbows touch as they walk, suggesting they really want to be close to one another.

This is William and Kate’s official engagement photo, taken on November 16, 2010, at St. James Palace in London. After eight years together, the couple became engaged during a holiday in Kenya, and you can see not only how thrilled but also how connected, they are. “I love how he tilts his upper body into her in the official photo,” Wood says. “Even in such a formal, posed photo, it shows he’s willing to lean into her,” and yet she meets him halfway by draping her arm through his elbow in a show of formality. And let’s not forget those toothy grins, which Wood reads as pure and genuine. All you have to do is “count those happy teeth!,” she says.

With their wedding drawing near, William and Kate attend the Naming Ceremony and Service of Dedication of the Atlantic 85 Lifeboat, Hereford Endeavour’ on February 24, 2011. Even if you didn’t know this was taken just weeks before their wedding, you’d “know,” according to Wood, who can’t help but notice how happy Kate seems (“She’s just lit up with happiness!”) and how the gaze between the two is so perfectly and mutually eye-to-eye.

You see that perfectly mutual gaze once again in this photo taken on April 29, 2011, right after their wedding at London’s Westminster Abbey. But what really stands out for Wood, in this case, is that while it would be perfectly acceptable for the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to have their attention fixed on the crowd gathered before them, it’s clear that all they have eyes for is each other.

It’s day six of the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and sure, it’s possible these two are just really enthusiastic about sports. But it’s far more likely their mutual “glee,” as Wood puts it, has to do with how they feel about each other. “Look how they’re all wrapped up in each other,” Wood points out. And she means it literally. “Once again, their bodies are forming a perfect heart shape.” If she didn’t know they were a royal couple, she might mistake them for a couple of high school kids at the homecoming game who are “hot for each other.”

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This photo of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge leaving the Lido Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital with their second child, daughter, Charlotte, on May 2, 2015, is emblematic of just how “in synch” the Cambridges are. Gazing mutually in the same direction, as Wood points out they often do, they focus their attention on their new bundle of joy, and yet William’s arm is wrapped around Kate, and their bodies overlap in the photo.

Enjoying a brief skiing holiday in the French Alps on March 3, 2016, the Cambridges seem to find themselves feeling “playful,” Wood tells Reader’s Digest. It’s evident how much she is “enjoying his energetic and playful desire to hold her close and dance in the snow.” Not only do we see closeness, but also a passion. What you don’t see, of course, is all that goes with traveling as a British royal.