It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words. That is why small gestures and involuntary movements of a body can say much more about a person than words themselves. This Sunday, March 31, King Charles III reappeared at St. George’s Chapel, located on the grounds of Windsor Castle, for the Easter Sunday service. The monarch attended the event after his cancer diagnosis last January, and his body language has already been analyzed and has left some clues about his current state.
This event is one of the most important in the ecclesiastical calendar, which is why it usually brings together a large number of royal members. The King, dressed in a dark coat and a blue tie, joined Queen Camilla, who has increased the number of professional commitments in recent months, due to the sick leave of her husband. “She had a lovely smile. She looked good. I think she was happy that we all came,” a woman who was near the venue told The Sun.
Other members of the royal family who attended the event were Prince Andrew; Princess Anne; Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York; the Dukes of Edinburgh, Sophie and Eduardo, among many others. It was this Saturday when it was announced that Buckingham Palace would make some changes to the royal family’s usual itinerary for this Easter Sunday to minimize any risk of infection, given that King Charles III’s health is delicate.
This Sunday’s service marks the first time that the sovereign returns to the public eye in almost two months, so each of his gestures has been analyzed with a magnifying glass. Judi James, a body language professional, assured Fabulous that the monarch wants to “reassure the public.” “Charles uses three key gestures and body language rituals here to reassure a nation that has been concerned about his health,” he assures the aforementioned media.
“First there is his smile. There is no rictus or grimace that could suggest an effort to produce,” says the professional. From the moment he steps quite firmly out of his car, his mouth opens into a radiant and consistent smile,” he observes. “His cheeks are lifted and rounded even though his face is a little less full and the furrows along his sides of your mouth and on your cheeks produce the ‘crown’ effect that indicates genuine good mood,” he continues to explain.
“Secondly, there are his comedy cues,” he says. “He is making a small and perhaps modest comical mouth as he greets the clergy and when he turns to greet the waiting crowd, he raises his eyebrows in recognition and begins to laugh and point as if he were sharing a joke,” notes the professional, ensuring that the monarch tries to transmit tranquility to British society. “He’s the King in his signature ‘joking’ way,” she says.
Finally, Judi stated that Charles III’s greetings indicate his affection for the public. “The last is his barrage of greetings to the fans. The first is an undulating wave indicating affection, while the three waves that follow tell us that he misses the public and is in no hurry to get into the abbey and out of sight of the cameras and reflectors,” he says. “Carlos’s shoulders may be a little more hunched here, but in terms of spirit and even mood there are practically no changes,” the professional concludes.
For their part, the biggest absence has been that of the Princes of Wales and their family. The couple did not attend the event, which took place just over a week after Kate Middleton published an emotional message in a video in which she revealed that she had begun preventive chemotherapy treatment. The family is resting and spending the Easter holidays together as they adjust to Kate’s diagnosis, which was discovered after abdominal surgery she underwent earlier this year.
