Prince George Mother's Day Photo Uncovered: What It Really Says About The Royals

In a world obsessed with the selfie and instagrams it is a modern challenge for the younger royals to produce photographic portraits that look anything other than stilted and over-formal, which is probably why William and Kate chose to lean from a window like this rather than be snapped indoors or on a bench in the garden.

Of course it would be ridiculous to describe this photo as genuinely relaxed and natural (after all there are actually five characters in this pose: William, Kate, George, Lupo and – of course – the photographer) which is why it is always going to be more than just a young couple chilling by the window with their kid.  A casual look is clearly the intention of the pose though, signalling an ongoing un-stuffiness and a rather low-key approach to the regal side of their lives.

Prince William in particular looks to be continuing his father’s tradition of chatting lightly to the snappers while they get their shots. This would be down to part natural embarrassment and part a bid to keep in control rather than spending his life wearing a fixed grin for the press.

William’s body language signals suggest family responsibilities have boosted his confidence and completed him. His signals when he posed as a young guy with his father and younger brother Harry always showed him to be in parental, leadership role in that trio, but this arched back and elbow lean here are now full of machismo and active energy and he’s lost some of the shyness signals that he has worn since his youth.

[William and Kate miss Prince George's firs crawl while on holiday]

[Prince George is all grown up in official Mother's Day portrait]

The balance of this pose is also telling. Royal tradition would make it a threesome but William has brought the dog in to make sure everyone has a role, rather than just leaning over Kate while she holds George. There’s a hint here that they view their family as an expanding unit and although we know there will be more royal babies (heir and a spare seems to be the minimum rule) this might provide a clue that they are thinking of growing their brood sooner rather than later.

Kate always sports the perfect smile but the angles of her mouth and her eye gaze here suggest genuine happiness rather than a social pose. Her slightly passive look is in harmony with William’s more active, protective lean into the group. There’s a space the size of a baby and a dog between them but the way their heads are inclined inward is an intentional gesture, showing closeness.

The Duchess of Cambridge looks hugely relaxed with George despite the fact that getting a photo of a small child is normally quite stressful. The hand around George’s chest is a relatively relaxed grip as though there have been no sign of tantrums or tears in front of the camera.

But Kate and William are only really playing support roles in this photo as the real stars are George and Lupo. The dog is amazing, with his raised chin and distant gaze into the distance suggesting he’s the one in this group who hasn’t forgotten what being royal is all about. He’s the only one here insisting on looking formal and on duty and even a hard, close-up stare from a young prince is clearly not going to distract him when he’s working the pose!

George’s body language suggest he’s the sort of confident baby that you can sit back and enjoy rather than worrying about or fussing around. This has been the essence of all his photos, even his small ‘wave’ to the cameras when he first appeared outside the hospital. His arms suggest he’s keen to crawl off and explore and his cute smile and eye contact show he’s happy to communicate as much as possible, even if that means he’s chatting to the family pet!

Although his parents look naturally protective here they don’t show any signals of parental anxiety, looking happy to take a bit of a back seat already while their gorgeous son is the new centre of attention.