Has Prince William been taking lessons in PDA from Prince Harry?
Yesterday marked Prince William's first joint engagement with wife Kate since she officially returned from maternity leave following the birth of their son, Prince Louis. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended the Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit, where political figures, policy-makers and academics from all over the world gathered together in a bid to improve mental health resources.
But the event also marked a notable increase in how handsy Prince William was with Kate, leading some (okay, me) to believe that he might just have been taking lessons in public displays of affection (PDA) from his brother, Prince Harry.
As William and Kate approached the venue, the Duke delicately placed his hand on Kate's back, in a rare display of physical contact between the pair.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have previously been known to avoid regular displays of outward affection for one another - unlike Meghan and Harry. But rest assured, it's got nothing to do with how much they like each other.
While there's no official rule in place that the monarchy isn't allowed to be physically affectionate in public (and if there was, Harry and Meghan would have bulldozed that one by now) royal etiquette expert Myka Meier told PEOPLE last year that it was probably to do with maintaining an air of professionalism.
"The couple are likely to show very little PDA, if any, to remain professional during their designated roles," Meier said.
But Meghan and Harry have been touchy-feely since literally day one, and have continued to hold hands and affectionately stroke each other during official engagements ever since.
There is, however, a slight difference between how William and Harry can conduct themselves in public. William will one day be King, whereas Harry is sixth in line to the throne and therefore very unlikely ever to be monarch, which means there's a little less pressure on him to stick to typical formalities.
But perhaps, regardless of this, Meghan and Harry's example has encouraged William and Kate to realise that they can still remain professional while displaying their love for one another publicly.
And if that's the case, we're all for it. There's nothing wrong with a show of love from where we're standing - no matter how near the throne you are.
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