Over the past year, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, both 39, have undertaken further responsibilities within the Firm, particularly while the Queen was on holiday at her Scottish Balmoral estate in the summer. Along with Prince Charles, 72, and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, 74, the couple attended the James Bond No Time to Die last month and were spotted holding hands.
The gesture, which is not usually seen by royal couples and is deemed a breach of protocol by traditionalists, was praised by others including royal historian Laura E Mayhall, who said that by showing affection Kate and William signalled their ability to lead.
It appears that through actions like this, which were usually seen by the likes of William’s brother Prince Harry, 37, and Meghan Markle, 40, before they stepped away from the Firm, that the Cambridges are changing their approach to royal life.
It comes after William and Kate were captured in a rare moment of public affection over the weekend.
The behind-the-scenes shots shared yesterday on their social media, show the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the Earthshot Prize awards ceremony.
In one of the black and white photographs, Kate can be seen with her arm placed tenderly on her husband's lower back as they look at each other.
While another shows the couple, who celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary this year, beaming as they move aside a pair of curtains as they make an entrance.
The third is a silhouette of the Duke, who appears to be waiting backstage.
The sweet images provide a glimpse into the couple's tender relationship and royal photographer Arthur Edwards said the snaps show the couple are "genuinely in love".
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They were met with delight by royal fans with many comparing their actions to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.
User @Colls_in_London wrote: “So lovely to see Harry & Meghan’s more relaxed & genuine approach being adopted by Wills & Kate’s PR team.
“Nice to see them looking happy & in more natural positions.”
While @JordanGropp praised the Cambridges for “leading with love” by writing: “I love this so much… their admiration and affection for each other cannot be faked.
“I’m grateful that in spite of the chaos that is their family, these 2 continue to lead with love.
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“It’s nice to see such genuine care and authenticity exude from them.”
The choice to release black and white pictures also follows royal trend set by Meghan and Harry on their now defunct SussexRoyal Instagram account.
During the inaugural awards bash on Sunday night, the Cambridges announced that next year the ceremony will take place in the US, where Meghan Markle and Prince Harry reside following their step away from royal duties.
Speaking from onstage at London’s Alexandra Palace, Prince William said: “London and the UK has put on quite a show for our first year.
“So for the second year, we need to pass the baton to a country whose leadership is essential for all five of our Earthshots.
“Where better than the nation that inspired the Moonshot all those years ago? I’m delighted to announce that the Earthshot Prize will be heading to the United States of America in 2022.”
To tie in with the sustainability theme for this year’s London bash, no guests were allowed to fly in from other countries to attend so at present it remains unclear whether the Cambridges will be in attendance at the US ceremony next year.
On the other hand, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, along with their children two-year-old Archie and Lilibet, who was born in June, reside in California.
The couple purchased a property in Montecito after stepping away from the Royal Family in 2020.