The Queen: Body language expert reveals royals’ emotions at sombre lying-in-state

The wives of the royal family all showed their grief in different ways as they attended Queen Elizabeth II’s cleanup on Wednesday, a body language expert said.

On the darkest day since the Queen’s death, Kate, the Princess of Wales, appeared silently saddened as she followed the coffin by car from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall.

She was joined by Sophie, the Countess of Wessex – who ‘swallowed tears’ – and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who took on a ‘perfect expression’ as they joined their husbands and other royals for service in the Historic Hall.

The royal family “appeared as choreographed as flying geese for this apparition, walking in a very formal formation,” according to body language expert Judi James.

The queen’s coffin was draped with the royal standard and adorned with the glittering, priceless imperial state crown on a purple velvet cushion and a wreath of white flowers for the procession to the rigged.

William, the Prince of Wales, and Harry, Duke of Sussex, once again put their lingering feud aside and stood side by side as they accompanied their beloved grandmother to the Houses of Parliament.

Ms James told the MailOnline that the formality of the occasion was broken only for a brief moment when Prince Harry and his wife Meghan ‘held out their arms to hold hands as they left the service behind William and Kate’.

She said: ‘The gesture almost seemed necessary to them and they were the only couple who really acknowledged each other and fell out of formation. We saw how they currently use this hand buckle as a sort of emotional lifeline.

“Meghan used it to gently rub Harry’s hand with her thumb as a reassuring gesture to Windsor and chances are it was used as a mutual support system here today.”

As the procession passed through the nation’s capital, Mrs. James said, “There were very large spatial gaps between them.” [the Royals]so no interaction whatsoever meaning they all looked lonely and lost in reflection.

“Even the wives, who followed in their cars, seemed to be quiet, both verbally and non-verbally. Kate sat next to Camilla in a pose of sadness and Sophie sat lost in grieving reflection next to Meghan.

“As Kate entered the palace hall, she seemed as quiet with grief as Sophie, with some heavy swallowing, pursed lips and narrowed eyes that indicated she was close to tears.

“There were no signs of socialization at all until they lined up to leave as couples.

“While the other members of the royal family maintained their attitude of quiet formality, Harry and Meghan closed the gap between them. Their hand and arm gestures suggested that they couldn’t wait to be literally touched again and instead of waiting for their torsos to touch before joining hands, they stretched out their arms to return to their signature ritual of closeness and comfort.’

the deceased sovereign arrived at Westminster Hall 38 minutes later at 3 p.m. – where she was placed on a catafalque – with her crown, orb and scepter on top.

The monarch will remain in state there for five nights until her state funeral on Monday at Westminster Abbey. The procession poignantly passed the statue of the Queen’s parents, King George VI and the Queen Mother, which overlooks The Mall.

The Imperial state crown, worn by the Queen on her way back to Buckingham Palace after her coronation, glittered in the daylight as the crowd held up their phones to record the scenes.

‘Harry and William had walked side by side behind the coffin this time, rather than with Peter Philips between them, as was deemed necessary at Philips’ funeral,’ noted Mrs. James. “Both of them had some sort of poker face while walking, especially William, who was in full uniform.

“Harry’s body language was a little less formal and there was a moment when the coffin was being lifted from the carriage when he did a small roll of the shoulder as if wishing he would help carry it himself.

‘In the palace the women walked to join their husbands, although the formation was formal with large gaps between them.

Andrew, standing alone and not in uniform, seemed to use his height to stand stiffly erect, as if he were permanently in the spotlight, with his chin tucked up and his mouth clenched and frowning, indicating that he wanted to be seen. as dutiful.

“Anne still seemed unable to take her eyes off the coffin, as if she were watching and guarding her mother to the last minute,” said Mrs. James, noting that Charles was showing one sign of “utter grief.” betrayed.

“Charles made one micro-gesture of utter grief when his mouth suddenly stretched sideways and his jaw dropped open a little,” she said.

As the Royals advanced, guns were firing every minute on Hyde Park, while Parliament’s famous Big Ben bell also sounded at 60-second intervals.

The crowd stood in hushed silence as they watched the procession, then erupted into spontaneous applause when it was over. Some threw flowers.

Other senior royals, including Charles’ wife Camilla, now the Queen Consort, Kate, William’s wife and now Princess of Wales, and Harry’s wife, Meghan, traveled by car.

“Sophie arrived in the car with Meghan but Sophie still seems too unhappy for conversation or polite conversation,” Mrs James said of the Countess of Wessex.

‘She is almost unrecognizable in her grief, and her mouth remained clenched, her head tilted and her eyes staring in a gesture of reflection.

Meanwhile, this was “the first time we saw Kate properly,” said Mrs. James. Kate’s features indicated intense grief and the backing of tears.

“Her eyes seemed narrowed as if she’d been crying, and her lips were pursed in a gesture of self-control. A few deep swallows, however, suggested the tears had been close.

Meanwhile, Meghan managed to stroke the “perfect expression” for the occasion.

“Meghan took on the rather perfect expression of someone registering grief and empathy for the family,” said Ms. James.

“She held her head up high and a polite but caring smile on her face, her eyebrows drawn asymmetrically to show that empathy for the grief around her.”