Sophie ‘Set the Tone’ at Commonwealth Day Service for ‘Flirtatious’ Prince William and Kate Middleton With King Charles ‘Ice-Breaker’
TL;DR:
- Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, greeted King Charles III with a “playful shoulder-bump” at the 2023 Commonwealth Day service.
- It appeared to “set the tone” for “flirtatious” Prince William and Kate Middleton, according to a body language expert.
- Meanwhile, Camilla Parker Bowles seemed “intensely nervous.”
The 2023 Commonwealth Day service saw Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, greeting King Charles III with a “playful shoulder-bump.” A body language expert says the gesture “set the tone” for “flirtatious” Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Sophie’s ‘playful shoulder-bump’ for King Charles was an ‘ice-breaker’ at the 2023 Commonwealth Day service
As British royals entered Westminster Abbey on March 13 for Commonwealth Day, Sophie shared a moment with King Charles. As body language expert Judi James noted, the 58-year-old nudged the king’s shoulder (via Mirror).
However simple, Sophie’s “shoulder-bump” was actually a rather stand-out moment. When Sophie leaned “right in to give Charles a very playful shoulder-bump greeting, along with a very meaningful grin,” it made for an “ice-breaker.”
It might’ve had to do with Sophie’s recent “upgrade to Duchess of Edinburgh,” James added. Or, perhaps “a response to Charles’s slightly impatient-looking dithering as he waited to get on with the procession.”
Whatever the reason, “it was probably the first glimpse of a gesture like this at a formal public event like this,” the expert said.
Sophie’s greeting ‘set the tone’ for ‘flirtatious’ William and Kate at Westminster Abbey
After Sophie’s “shoulder-bump[ed]” the king, the service got underway with the Prince and Princess of Wales sharing some borderline “flirtatious” moments.
The “shoulder-bump,” James explained, “seemed to set the tone” for William and Kate, “who were spotted exchanging some grins that were fondly bordering on the flirtatious during the service.”
For instance, “at one point Kate leant [sic] over to point to the place William should have been on his song sheet and he replied with a rather sweet suppressed smile, followed by a small bounce on his heels to signal a moment of happiness.”
Another rather flirtatious exchange occurred when Kate spoke to William “during one of the musical numbers and his grin in reply looked equally cheeky.”
Camilla Parker Bowles looked ‘intensely nervous’ at the Commonwealth Day service
Despite the casual tone Sophie may have set with the “shoulder-bump,” it didn’t seem to extend to Camilla Parker Bowles. The Queen Consort appeared “intensely nervous” as she arrived at the Commonwealth Day service with the king.
“Being greeted by jeers from the crowd from people carrying anti-monarchy banners didn’t rattle the king but it did seem to startle Camilla,” James said.
Another factor may have been the wind with the expert saying, “Camilla was also clearly worried about the wind taking her hat and messing her hair.”
Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
