Why are Kate’s fingers ALL the same length? And what the strikingly distinctive hands of the rest of the Royal Family mean, according to a palmistry expert

Before the Princess of Wales boarded a lifeboat on the River Thames in London earlier this month, she warmly waved as royal fans cheered her on.

Eagle-eyed onlookers may have noticed a striking detail about the 44-year-old’s hands – the Princess’s middle finger is almost the same length as her index and ring fingers. Most people’s are noticeably longer.

According to palmistry expert Johnny Fincham, it’s no coincidence – but a physical trait that reveals insights into Kate’s personality.

Johnny, the author of Palmistry: From Apprentice to Pro in 24 Hours, utilises scientific and psychological research into hand and finger shape, texture, size, prints and lines to gather insights into people’s lives.

The expert has examined the Royal Family’s hands to reveal telling details regarding their personalities, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s ‘worrying’ fate – and ‘addiction to pleasure’.

Meanwhile, the York sisters’ hands, according to Johnny, point to one ‘sensitive’ sister who ‘needs protection’ – while the second is ‘fiery’ and determined to stand on her own.

Read on to discover what the strikingly distinctive hands of the Royal Family tell us about their personalities…

KATE’S GOT A REAL SOCIAL CONSCIENCE

Perhaps the most unusual aspect of Kate’s hands is that her middle finger is almost the same length as her index and ring fingers; most people’s are noticeably longer. 

While our middle finger isn’t affected by oestrogen and testosterone in the womb because it has fewer hormone receptors, for palm readers, the length of this finger carries a crucial significance. 

‘Kate’s middle finger should stand 2cm longer than the others,’ Johnny said, continuing, ‘That it doesn’t, indicates she has an enormous sympathy with the outsider. She’s strongly geared towards the underdog.’ 

However, the royals may be in for a shock in the coming years. ‘As Kate gets older, she may want to escape the restrictions of royal life. Many such people end up living in a land outside of the one they were born in.’

Palmists believe the shape of your palm says a lot about you, with four basic types, one for each element: fire, water, earth and air. 

‘Kate has an air palm – it’s square, with long, thin fingers and quite bony, pale hands,’ Johnny said. 

‘People with air palms are quiet, refined, intelligent, sensitive and articulate. They don’t usually like to get into a situation where there are too many impediments on their freedom. They like to come and go as they please and travel a lot. 

‘While they can be charming, they are often hard to pin down, somewhat unknowable and aloof.’ 

Kate’s slim little finger is longer than normal, a sign of curiosity about the world and an ability to engage and influence others. ‘Such people are usually good with money and use words well,’ says the expert, ‘but more likely to stray romantically.’

ANDREW’S TWISTED FATE AND ‘ADDICTION TO PLEASURE’

Johnny described Andrew’s hand – ‘a square palm with short, stubby fingers’ – as ‘an earth hand’, meaning he has an ‘affinity with the physical, practical and material world’.

However, of special note is his ‘worrying’ fate line, which runs vertically up the centre of the palm – and features which suggest an ‘addiction to pleasure’.

‘It bends up from the radial side of the palm, showing a serious lack of gravity, duty and obedience,’ Johnny described.

‘This line bends away from the lifeline, showing him avoiding family protocols, being his own man, someone that makes his own rules and without a drive to achieve aims set by the family.’

Elsewhere, the disgraced Duke has ‘enormous’ bottom phalanges too, which the expert said ‘denotes a highly sensual nature, someone that loves luxury and the pleasures of the senses’.

‘He can get stuck in a cycle of needing constant “hits” sexually, gastronomically and in terms of touch,’ Johnny continued. ‘Large base phalanges often give an addiction to pleasure.’

However, Andrew’s hands also point to inner turmoil. 

‘The index (Jupiter) digit is short and slightly bent, giving a lack of independence and a serious lack of inner confidence,’ Johnny explained.

‘Though this would be hidden by a love of display, indicated by the long ring (Apollo) finger.

And his pinky could suggest ‘opportunist’ tendencies, the palmistry pro added. 

‘The little finger, ruled by Mercury is long and sticking out,’ Johnny said. ‘This is a classic sign of someone with a sharp sense of humour and something of a charmer who is “on the lookout” in terms of relationships – an opportunist who will hook onto an encounter outside the bounds of formal marriage.

‘The bar line joining the head line and heart line shows great difficulty in letting go in terms of love and romance: he has a sense of ownership in matters of the heart. This does, however show a huge sense of commitment in terms of family and children.’

Johnny added: ‘He likes things which are tangible, real and which can be seen and touched. He has an inherent distrust of abstract ideas, intellectual approaches to life and to reading and study in general.

‘Earth types like traditional organised structures, they place enormous trust in institutions and family. They instinctively want to preserve traditions and love history and can live very much in the past.

‘There is an affinity and love of nature and of outdoor pursuits. Like all earth types, Andrew would have a natural physicality and will have a love of good food and outdoor exercise. He can be prone to being lazy when unmotivated and can be somewhat insensitive with a crude sense of humour.’

PRINCE PHILIP’S LOVE OF LUXURY

Palmistry expert Johnny pointed out that Prince Philip’s fingers were extremely wide at the base, then tapered off at the fingertips. 

‘This is the sign of someone who’s very tactile and wants the best of everything,’ he said. 

‘They’re very fussy about the food they eat, they have an exquisite taste in wine and want to live in luxury. 

‘This also applies to their attitude to the opposite sex – they want to have a beautiful partner.’ 

If your fingers have thin, athletic bases, then you’re the opposite. ‘A lot of Buddhist monks have this type of finger,’ said Johnny.

‘SENSITIVE’ BEATRICE ‘NEEDS TO BE PROTECTED’

According to Johnny, ‘sensitive’ Beatrice has a ‘water hand’, meaning the palm is ‘rectangular with long fingers’ – and will need ‘protecting’.

‘Water handed people are highly sensitive, vulnerable and highly cultured, with a strong sense of compassion for others,’ he explained.

‘She won’t be terribly good and withstanding the slings and arrows of unpopularity and experiencing negativity.

‘Her hand shows a strong sense of empathy and a need to be protected. She will be sympathetic to the needs of others and will want to insure herself against loss and hurt. Often females with water hands marry someone older and more secure financially and solid than themselves to have someone to lean on.’

He pointed out that her index finger standing out away from the other digits is ‘an indication of someone that doesn’t want to rely on her parents as a stable influence’. 

‘She will want to put distance, both physical and psychological, away from her parents as soon as she is able and will want stability from her partner or from her own capacity to establish it,’ he added.

‘The middle (Saturn) finger is also bent, this shows a bent and unstable parenting, and one that she would be keen to avoid repeating with her own children.

‘The two digits (Jupiter and Saturn) show a strong sense of wanting a very different life for herself than the role she was brought up to fulfil. However, her sensitive nature will mean that she will avoid great displays of complaint and rebellion, she will move quietly and discreetly through life.’

Johnny also described a strong ‘headline’, which is slightly curved and ‘very fine in nature’.

‘She is clearly well educated and highly intelligent. There is articulacy and a gift for language and communication,’ he continued.

‘The heart line is fine and curved, showing a good capacity to relate and for romance. The many fine lines of the radial side of the palm show a high level of stress.’

‘BUBBLY’ EUGENIE IS DETERMINED TO CARVE OUT HER OWN PATH

‘Eugenie has a fire hand – a rectangular palm with medium length fingers,’ Johnny shared – meaning she is determined to stand on her own two feet.

‘This is a very different personality to her sister – outgoing, extrovert, lively and bubbly,’ he said.

‘She has a drive to perform, achieve and attain goals and is going to be very much the stronger and more robust sister.

‘The fire hand can make for someone that jumps in with both feet, without considering all the possible outcomes, so there is always the capacity to leap in too fast and make mistakes.’

Her features also point to high ambitions and independence. 

‘Her index (Jupiter) finger is very long. This shows a bossy and very much a controlling pattern, she can be a little overwhelming at times,’ the palmistry expert said.

‘The long index shows a responsible, confident and protective instinct towards those close to them, so she will be the one to reach out and to guard and protect her mother and sister when they are battered by the currents of life.

‘She has a strong drive to push herself to ideal levels and to get what she wants. Her high expectations for herself will mean she will want a fantastic marriage, a wonderful house, beautiful children and will be a little unrealistic in her ambitions.’

Meanwhile, other details suggest she sometimes acts before she speaks. 

‘The head line is tied to the lifeline and so not so well educated, refined and intelligent as her older sister,’ Johnny added.

‘This may be a problem, as she won’t think things through before speaking and acting. This is a demanding personality, but one that will try hard to live up her ideals and will put the work in.

‘Like her sister, she has a bent middle (Saturn) finger, so will want to bring up her own children in a very different manner than within her own upbringing.

‘She is much quicker on her feet than her sister and less prone to worry about hurts and criticisms in general. She has a lot of activity lines, so is always up to something: lots of projects on the go and probably a lot of social and business connections.’