Who knew your handwriting could reveal so much about your personality? We spoke to Emma Bache, graphologist and author of Reading between the Lines, who decoded what certain royals' manuscript says about them. How they cross their 't's and dot their 'i's reveals more than you might think. Let's start with the Duchess of Cambridge…
The Duchess of Cambridge
We caught up with Emma at a Green People beauty launch, who said of Kate: "Catherine likes things very, very well organised, she can be a little bit dogmatic about things. Now, you might think that she is very calm because she has this persona in the media, and she is, up to a point, unless things don't go her way."
Emma added: "She really needs people around her. She's conservative by nature – she's not going to upset anybody very easily. And her signature is right in the middle of the page; what you see is what you get. She knows her own mind, has a healthy ego and feels absolutely no need to put on airs and graces. Catherine is not going to rock the boat, ever."
Prince William
"William is much more like Catherine in that he is solid and steady but doesn't need other people's approval as much as Catherine does," Emma told HELLO!. "His signature, he has this horizontal line going up which is sort of saying, 'I will come to you… keep your distance.'"
In her book Reading between the Lines, published by Quercus, Emma also wrote: "Prince William's handwriting consists of narrow letters but relatively wide spaces between words. The future King of England will be more than a little used to socialising and meeting an extremely broad range of people. However, we can see that he is quite shy in reality and would not normally choose to push himself forward or hog the limelight. The wide spaces between his words show his need for some independence and privacy."
Prince William and Kate compatibility
"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, although not strikingly similar personalities, have complementary handwritings," Emma wrote in her book. "Catherine's handwriting shows a sociable and outgoing nature, but one that enjoys her privacy. Note the right slant, small spaces between the words and tightly closed ovals. She has a good balance between the three zones and has a versatile personality.
"William's handwriting is smaller, with larger spaces between the words, but he too enjoys his privacy, when he can get it. Those long lower zones that pull to the right match his wife's hardworking and energetic attitude to life. He is the more sensitive of the two and he would appreciate her balanced, sensible and nurturing nature."
Prince Harry
"Harry surprisingly likes his space around him, and he has, I feel, a persona of being a bit of a 'Jack the lad,' and almost a little irresponsible when he was younger," Emma told HELLO!. "But he's actually deeply sensitive, he likes his owns space, his moods are more up and down and he needs a bit more careful handling. There's a sensitivity here that other people don't see.
"But his signature, which is how he wants to be seen by other people, he's underlined it and he's got these vertical strokes. He wants to be seen as, 'I'm absolutely sorted, I'm quite stubborn and I am going to have my way.' But the reality is he is actually more malleable and more sensitive to how other people see him."
Writing in her book, Emma also adds: "Do you notice that the second vertical stroke on the capital 'H' reaches right down to the lower zone? Prince Harry certainly likes to have his own way over things, and there is stubbornness here. The upright slant shows that he actually keeps his emotions, for the most part, in check, but the heavy pressure and rightward-placed signature indicate healthy vitality. That sweeping underscore under his signature? Yes, he wants to be noticed!"
The Duchess of Sussex
"The most obvious thing visually about her is all these curly 'q's and very slow writing, which is very mannerised and calligraphic. This is a woman who is used to being in the spotlight. These strokes that go over covering the words, that's self-protection; she's going to react to criticism."
Princess Eugenie
"If I look at her signature, it's all thread," said Emma. "She wants to be seen as quick-minded and quick-witted and up to a point she is. But she also has got this drooping garland, which is going out to other people and she definitely has the gift of the gab. She would understand how to treat people, she'd be very good in a PR setting."
Princess Beatrice
"Beatrice, I would imagine, she is more of a worrier," said Emma. "She's somebody who doesn't take life in such a relaxed way as Eugenie does. But she is optimistic, she is very caring and maternal and looks after other people. She has a great sense of humour. Her signature's a bit bigger, she likes to be on display more than Eugenie does. Whereas Eugenie is very laid back, I think if Beatrice is pushed too hard, she would stand her ground."
The Queen
Writing in her book, Emma reveals: "The Queen has a fluid, pleasing rhythm to her writing, with well-balanced spacing and size." The monarch "shows a strong altruistic side to her personality (note the rightward movement to lower-zone 'y' strokes) and a sense of pride (tall upper-zone loops) but also she is highly protective of others as well as herself (high-flying 't' bars). Her figure 8 'g's show that she has a quick mind and is certainly no slouch when it comes to literary and intellectual matters."