Prince George and Prince Louis Are "Protective" of Mom Kate in Mother's Day Photos, Body Language Expert Says

Last Sunday was Mother's Day in the U.K., and as ever, the Wales family celebrated by sharing some previously unseen photos of their brood.

The main picture was a heart-melting one of Mama Kate posing in a tree with Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4. It looks like it was taken in the summer because all four royals are wearing lightweight clothing, with the kids all in shorts.

But for one body language expert, the way the little family chose to sit in relation to one another for this photo shoot says a whole lot about their close bond.

"Her two boys use protective signals as they pose alongside her, with George leaning in and placing one leg across her in a barrier gesture, while even little Louis sits with his arm extended across her torso, and his hand holding her leg," Judi James told Express.

But even though Kate's only daughter was sitting slightly separately from the rest of her family members, her posture also showed how close she is to them.

"With Charlotte’s mirroring rituals as she sits opposite her mother, this seems to be all about cherishing their mother who they all see as one of their play group," James said.

For the expert, these pictures demonstrate the Princess of Wales' attitude to parenting in action.

"Kate seems to be revealing two different aspects of motherhood in these adorable photos with her children," she said.

"In the photo with Louis though we can see Kate’s own protective, maternal side emerging.

"Louis is such a confident, playful boy but here we can see him being cherished and cradled like a small child, with Kate looking down with a warmly loving facial expression."

The expert added, "Her parenting style looks flexible, with an emphasis on fun and promoting feelings of freedom.

"She can clearly join in the play like one of the children but also switch to a very classic nurturing form of more protective love to keep her children feeling safe and protected when necessary."

Many experts have previously commented on Kate's method of kneeling down to speak to children at their own height, explaining for example that it's "a powerful way of building trust in a motherly role."

While the princess herself rarely opens up about her parenting style, reports do emerge about it from time to time. For example, author Tom Quinn recently claimed that—unlike Princess Diana—Kate isn't willing to bring her kids to McDonald's. Don't worry, though, burgers are very much still on the table, just from traditional country pubs instead. Phew!