Prince William and the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton) attended the wedding of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania’s son Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan on June 1.
Footage from the royal event shows what a body language expert is calling an “awkward” moment for the Prince of Wales. Here’s more on that, plus why the expert believes William and Kate were “more reserved than usual” during the affair.
Expert noticed ‘awkward moment’ for Prince William and Kate ‘more reserved than usual’
Darren Stanton is a body language and behavioral expert who previously worked for the Derbyshire police and used his expertise to uncover the truth when interviewing hundreds of suspects. He later moved into media as a consultant. Looking at footage from the Jordan royal wedding, he noticed an “awkward moment” for Prince William when he wasn’t quite sure what to do once he was done talking to the bride and groom.
Speaking on behalf of Slingo Stanton said: “After Prince William finished his conversation with the bride, he was kind of left hanging for about 20 seconds looking for Kate to finish her conversation. He had a couple of gestures when he was playing with his cufflinks a little bit. That’s what we call a pacifying gesture, showing he was a little bit nervous, a little bit out of his shell or his comfort zone. I don’t think there’s anything too wrong with that, but I thought it was an awkward moment for William as he stood there waiting for Kate to finish her conversation.”
As for the princess, Stanton noticed that she seemed “more reserved” while conversing with the Jordanian royals.
“I thought Kate was more reserved than usual in her level of body language when speaking to the king and the queen,” he opined. “She was less animated with her hands. She’s usually very animated and tends to lean in quite a lot to who she’s talking, but I think this has to do more with customs. I thought she was pretty reserved, quite sedate, and purposely taking a backseat to let others shine in the limelight.”
The expert added: “Both of them are very comfortable in their own skin, Kate again is the stronger and the more confident of the two, with no sign of self-esteem issues. She’s very self-assured in every given situation. I think overall they appeared reserved because it wasn’t really about them.”
The princess also shared an ‘intimate moment’ with William
Stanton also observed the couple sharing an “intimate moment” during the reception.
“Kate and Prince William seemed a little bit distant non-verbally when arriving at Crown Prince Hussein’s wedding, but I think that has to do more with protocol or customs. Probably displays of affection in that context are not appropriate,” he said. “However, I did notice Kate and William shared an intimate moment. You know those moments that you have with a partner. There are a few kinds of moments or glances that you have. One of them is like ‘let’s go,’ a signal where you’re just like ‘let’s leave.’
“Kate’s look, in its purest form, meant ‘I love you’ so it shows a deep connection and a deep rapport, that’s essentially what that look between those two means. There have been quite a few times they had such telling glances between them in different situations.”
Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.