Telling Sign William And Kate Were Keeping Children 'Secure' At Memorial

In particular, it was a monumental day for both Prince George, eight, and Princess Charlotte, six, who are still learning the royal ropes and have only made appearances on the very rare occasion - even rarer an occasion as official as the Duke of Edinburgh's memorial.

Although Prince George and Princess Charlotte have joined their parents on a number of public appearances so far, including international tours, pantomime performances, and sporting events, the children had not experienced an official royal event before today.

You can first spot it when the family go up the stairs into Westminster Abbey. Inbaal notes that Prince George "pauses for just a split second and his mouth opens a tiny bit. That means, to me, that his breathing is a little more anxious and he's trying to regulate himself.

"So as he's walking in, he loses his nerve for a second and immediately at that moment, his dad puts two hands on his shoulders and guides him. They walk up hand in hand and throughout the entire shaking of hands, William demonstrates to his child what to do."

Meanwhile, "Katherine's hand is very, very rarely off Charlotte's shoulder or back" as she guides her daughter through the line-up.

Pointing out the Duke and Duchess' decision to keep physical contact with their children, Inbaal told Tyla that it was likely a "deliberate" move.

"We all remember the vision of William and Harry [at Princess Diana's funeral] walking behind the coffin, nobody holding their hand, each one totally alone. So this handling, this keeping the children secure, I believe, was a very deliberate parenting decision that Kate and William had taken beforehand," she says.

Royals gathered on Tuesday to celebrate the life of Prince Philip, who died at age 99 in April 2021.

The service included many elements that were originally planned for the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral in St George's Chapel before it was stripped back to meet public health measures at the time.