Kate Middleton's subtle gesture on triumphant Christmas return to spotlight says it all

The Princess of Wales joined the royals for their annual walk to church in Sandringham today after a year of health challenges - and one expert says one very telling gesture as she headed to the service with Prince William and their children gave away Kate's true feelings about Christmas

The Princess of Wales emotionally joined the royals for church on Christmas morning in a triumphant return where she was bombarded with gifts and flowers.

As King Charles led the royals to church for their traditional Christmas Day service with Queen Camilla by his side, they were immediately followed by Prince William, Kate and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. William walked hand in hand with Charlotte, and Kate who wore a green Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen coat and hat, smiled at the crowds, as she held hands with Louis. Christmas comes at the end of a highly challenging year for the Wales family following Kate's cancer diagnosis and subsequent chemotherapy treatment.

And according to body language expert Judi James, it was one gesture as the family walked to church that showed Kate's true feelings about her return for Christmas. She told the Mirror: "Kate's small beret hat allowed a full view of her face, which in turn showed off that authentic, congruent, dimpled smile rather than her perfect royal version.

"Her energetic pace of walk as she clutched Louis's hand in her own, and the way her eye-gaze went from the adoring fans (she walked crowd-side to allow proximity) to her left and down the line of Louis, Charlotte, William and George, when her beam of pride was obvious."

And Judi added that now when the Wales family head out for events together, they function as an "almost seamless royal team". She added: "George is still mirroring his dad but also increasingly taking the lead without looking to William for approval signals, suggesting he is acting on his own initiative. The shyness signals have gone, and he now has a tendency to walk ahead when it comes to meeting and greeting."

Also in the walking party to church this morning was Princess Anne, Edward and Sophie the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Mike and Zara Tindall and their children, as well as a pregnant Princess Beatrice, her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and his son Wolfie. Members of the royal family who walked to the service were greeted at the foot of the steps to the church by the Reverend Canon Dr Paul Rhys Williams. They then headed inside and the National Anthem was sung before the first hymn, O Come, All Ye Faithful.

After the 45-minute service, the royals led by the King and Queen once again, left the church to greet the hundreds of well-wishers who had gathered at Sandringham to see them. As they chatted to the crowds, many had brought flowers for Kate, who was seen with an armful of bouquets from well-wishers.

The royal children were also given gifts, with George, Charlotte and Louis all seen holding Mickey Mouse toys as well as chocolate selection boxes. The King and Queen were also given flowers as was Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh. Christmas comes just months after Kate revealed her chemotherapy treatment had finished and in a video, she said that she was doing all she could to remain "cancer-free". She also spoke of how she was "looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months".

In recent weeks, she has attended Remembrance weekend events while in the summer she was at Wimbledon for the men's final and she also made an appearance at Trooping the Colour in June. Kate also took part in the Qatar state visit to the UK in early December as part of her gradual return to royal duties. Earlier this year, William described the past year, in which his wife and father were treated for cancer, as 'brutal'. He said that 2024 has "probably been the hardest year in my life" and a 'dreadful' experience.

One wellwisher at Sandringham was Karen Maclean, from North Lincolnshire, spoke with both Charles and Kate and gave the princess a hug. The 73-year-old, who is retired, said she had had "20 years of cancer" and spoke about the disease with the King and his daughter-in-law after their own health issues this year. "We just had a little talk about cancer, really," said Ms Maclean. "I’ve met the King before. He said to me 'I can remember you, I’m thinking 'what!', like many years ago?" She said that Charles and Kate seemed "very well actually, considering what they’re going through". She added after hugging Kate: "What a privilege."