Kate Middleton’s ‘firm handshake’ impresses royal fans as they praise her ‘authoritative’ nature

Eagle-eyed royal watchers have praised the ‘firm handshake’ the Duchess of Cambridge gave to teacher Helen Haslem on Princess Charlotte’s first day of school yesterday. 

Kate Middleton, 37, was filmed greeting the teacher as she dropped off her four-year-old daughter at the £19,000-a-year Thomas’s Battersea yesterday morning. 

After footage of the moment was shared online, royal followers started to note that the Duchess appeared to give Ms Haslem, head of the lower school, a particularly assertive greeting – with one claiming she wanted to show that ‘she is the boss’. 

However body language expert Judi James told FEMAIL that Kate’s gesture was simply a ‘confident greeting’ that was perfectly judged to match Ms Haslem’s assertive approach. 

Royal followers claimed the Duchess of Cambridge gave Ms Haslem the greeting to ‘show who’s boss’. Pictured, Kate arriving with daughter Charlotte at Thomas’s Battersea yesterday 

 

Royal watchers were quick to share their praise for the ‘assertive’ greeting on social media

The Duchess of Cambridge was joined by husband Prince William, 37, and son Prince George, six, as they took Princess Charlotte to school for the first time. 

Helen, who is the head of the lower school, welcomed both George and new pupil Charlotte with a handshake before greeting both Kate and William with the warm gesture. 

The handshake in a video posted to the Kensington Royal Instagram account, one eagle-eyed viewer pointed out the ‘firm’ gesture.

She said: ‘I think my favourite part of this is how firm the handshake is between the teacher and Kate.’

Helen, who is the head of the lower school, welcomed both George and new pupil Charlotte with a handshake (pictured) before greeting both Kate and William with the warm gesture 

 

The handshake became a source of much comment after photos and videos were shared online. Others pointed out that George appeared to have inherited his mother’s firm grip 

Another user agreed, writing: ‘Showing her who’s boss, I like it’.

‘She is a Capricorn, earth sign Kate knows what she wants! But she is really poised and feminine and [classy] at the same time’, noted a third.

But re-examining the video, Judi insisted the gesture was simply a ‘confident’ and ‘familiar’ greeting with a teacher she ‘knows quite well’. 

Judi said: ‘Kate does perform an admirably assertive handshake here, but it has to be said that it is primarily a “matching” gesture as the hand that George’s teacher sticks out in an announcement shows every sign of introducing the fact that she is about to instigate a strong, firm grip herself.

As Kate and her family greeted head teacher Helen Haslem outside the school, royal fans were particularly impressed by the mother-of-three’s ‘firm’ handshake

‘The speed of the teacher’s hand-jut and her erect thumb signal perfect confidence and firmness and Kate responds in kind with a firm, fast shake. 

‘Her wide smile of recognition as she spotted the teacher suggested the pair know one another quite well and seem like-minded in terms of confident greetings.’

Judi added that Kate may have introduced an ‘assertive style of handshake’ as a signal to their children that they are ‘going from one firm and safe pair of hands to another’. 

She added: ‘There could be another reason for the assertive style of handshake too: ushering two small children into school involved a lot of smiling and nurturing plus gentle pats of encouragement so this strong shake could have been a “grown-up” signal to show they were going from one firm and safe pair of hands to another.’