Body language expert Judi James commented that Charles and Camilla’s body language “always compares to an iceberg, with very little emotion being shown in public but with some occasional glimpses of the powerful relationship that lies beneath”.
The “biggest clue” to their dynamic, according to the expert, came from one of their earliest shots, which was the iconic pose under the tree at polo.
Most of Charles’s dates “had appeared coy and self-conscious,” Judi opined, “but here we saw a woman facing Charles front-on in what might look like a romantic pose but which also registers signals of challenge from Camilla who, with her hands stuffed casually in her pockets, looks totally unfazed by Charles’s royal status”.
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The body language guru claimed that “her direct stare, her lack of a compliant, flattering smile and the way it is Charles looking rather awkward and besotted under her gaze” all suggest Camilla was confident and very comfortable around Charles.
Judi added: “All seem to tilt the confidence, power and even status signals in Camilla’s direction.”
However, her more official launch as his partner “presented a very different set of body language signals,” Judi claimed.
According to the expert, Camilla’s body language changed, and that “sense of challenge and defiance vanished”.
In their place, “we were shown a wary and compliant-looking woman who appeared primarily as supplier of support and reassurance to Charles,” Judi observed.
According to the expert, Camilla took “his lead and shadowed him in public”, and then “offered reward pats on the hand in a more maternal way once an appearance was over”.
“Presumably keeping Charles’s jealousy and pique at being eclipsed by Diana in mind, Camilla was always keen to allow Charles to take most if not all of the spotlight,” she opined.
Judi continued and claimed that Camilla’s “launch-by stealth campaign with the public involved signals of self-effacing modesty and lowered status, which both came with several signs of nerves”.
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Charles “neither fussed over Camilla nor ‘presented’ her to the public via his own body language signals though”.
“In many ways, she was just there, beside or behind him, for a long time before the subtle signals of affection, devotion and even a shared sense of fun began to slowly leak out,” she opined.
Judi pointed out that Charles actually “gets more hugs in public from his niece Zara than he does from Camilla”.
Charles is known to have a close relationship with Princess Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall and similarly, “it was Kate placing a consoling arm around his shoulders after his father’s death”.
This shows that although Charles and Camilla’s relationship has evolved, they have never exchanged any public displays of affection.
The body language expert continued: “But we are now being shown shared glances and the softening of the facial features that hint at the level of emotion that might underlie Charles and Camilla’s public behaviours.
“Perhaps the most telling of all their poses as a couple now are the more informal photos they often use for their greetings cards.”
Judi opined that these will be taken “outside in the grounds, sometimes on a bench or even on a small flight of steps” and in these casual settings “we see a more relaxed and tactile couple with some of those evenly-balanced status and power signals that we saw in the black and white pose from their youth restored”.