Duchess Sophie's public gesture to Princess Kate 'you wouldn't have seen a few years ago' - exclusive

The royal family are renowned for being very reserved in their public facing roles, but in recent years we've seen many more displays of affection.

Cameras captured the Duchess of Edinburgh's heartwarming gesture to her niece-in-law, the Princess of Wales, on Remembrance Sunday.

Sophie gently placed her hand reassuringly on Kate's shoulder as they left the balcony of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in London after the service at the Cenotaph.

See the moment in the video below…

Kate's attendance at the poignant event is part of her gradual return to royal duties after completing chemotherapy in September.

But Sophie's warm gesture demonstrated the sisterly closeness between the two royal women, and one which revealed just how much the royals have wrapped a protective arm around stoic Kate during the most difficult of years.

"The royals have always shown a human side, but there is more warmth now," royal author Ingrid Seward told HELLO! magazine. "That gesture of Sophie putting her arm around Kate is something you wouldn't have seen a few years ago."

"That moment said a lot," agreed royal biographer Robert Jobson. "The royal family are all looking after Kate and there is a protective bubble around her."

The Edinburghs and the Waleses have demonstrated their tight bond over the years, with Sophie and Edward's daughter, Lady Louise Windsor, chosen to be William and Kate's bridesmaid at their royal wedding in 2011.

In turn, Lady Louise has lent a helping hand to her younger second cousins, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, chaperoning George and Charlotte at Princess Eugenie's wedding in 2018.

In another display of affection, Sophie was also seen placing a protective hand on her nephew William's shoulder as they left the Buckingham Palace balcony at Trooping the Colour in June. The event marked Kate's first major public appearance since her cancer diagnosis.

Kate and William were also captured engaging in a number of PDAs in the video released to announce the end of the Princess's cancer treatment. The couple were seen holding hands together on a picnic blanket, with Kate resting her head on her husband's shoulder.

And in another scene, William was seen leaning down to tenderly kiss his wife on the cheek as she giggled.