Body Language Expert Says Prince William Looks ‘Troubled’ and King Charles Shows ‘Overkill Resilience’ Ahead of Prince Harry’s Memoir Release
A body language expert said Prince William’s gestures and facial expressions during a recent appearance showed signs he may be feeling “troubled” ahead of Prince Harry’s memoir release. King Charles seemed to display “overkill resilience” at his recent appearance, the expert noted.
King Charles showed ‘overkill resilience,’ body language expert says
On Nov. 2, Prince William attended the Royal Africa Society’s Film Africa in London festival. King Charles hosted a reception in Buckingham Palace the same day.
Body language expert Judi James told The Sun that the father and son showed gestures and expressions that might point to how they are preparing for the release of Prince Harry’s memoir, titled Spare.
King Charles showed no signs of worry about his son’s book, which may reveal royal family dirty laundry. “Charles appears to have adopted the ‘overkill rituals’ route to signal resilience and a lack of concern,” James pointed out.
“These exaggerated displays can be a signal in themselves as they often occur when someone is masking their authentic feelings and over-acting slightly as a result,” she noted.
The body language expert looked closely at how Charles displayed “his jolly, fun side since he became king,’ calling this appearance “one of the most pronounced displays to date.”
Charles’s facial expression was also revealing, with James calling it “extreme as he chuckles open-mouthed with his eyes squeezed tight shut and his upper and lower teeth visible.” She wondered, “Is this a deliberate display of bravado?”
James explained, “It could well be, as his humor and his laughter don’t seem to be mirrored by the people he is talking to, suggesting he is instigating it rather than responding to them.”
She added, “Either way the projected message he is trying to convey seems to be that he doesn’t have a care in the world.”
Prince William appeared ‘troubled,’ according to body language expert
William, however, seemed “much more troubled” during his appearance, James said.
“When he is smiling here the smile looks polite and less assured than his father’s broad grins, either with his lips closed and no smile in his eye expression, or with a full baring of the teeth but with no real rounding of the cheeks or excessive crinkling of the eyes to make him look genuinely relaxed and happy,” James explained.
She continued, “When his eyes pick out the camera their expression looks rounded and rather wary, with a small frown of concern. This is reminiscent of the signals of wariness he used to display a few years ago when Harry was still in the UK and the camera seemed often to be received as an intrusion.’
William displayed ‘self-comfort’ rituals, expert notes
The body language expert also noted how William appeared “keen to create distance.”
James explained how William was seen “standing in one pose with his right arm up and across his body in a barrier ritual, with his hand tucked into the shoulder of his jacket, or with his hands clasped in front of his torso.”
She noted, “We can also see some self-comfort rituals on the video clip, where he smooths his tie and rubs his hands on his knees in gestures that hint at possible tension or discomfort.”
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