Body Language Expert Analyzes Prince Harry and Prince William’s Demeanor When Prince Charles Married Camilla and She Became Their Stepmother
Accepting Camilla Parker Bowles as Prince Charles‘ new bride after the death of Princess Diana wasn’t an easy thing for the public to digest. And it reportedly wasn’t easy for Prince William and Prince Harry either. While many believed their father finally marrying the woman he had been in love with for decades was inevitable, it doesn’t mean the princes were thrilled at having her become their stepmother. And according to an expert, the brothers’ body language showed how uncomfortable they were the day Charles wed Camilla.
Here’s more on that, plus what Diana’s friend said about William and Harry not accepting but rather just “tolerating” their stepmom.
Prince Harry said Camilla is not a ‘wicked stepmother’
In February 2005, the Prince of Wales and Camilla announced that they were engaged.
Following the announcement, everyone wanted to know what Prince William and Prince Harry thought of the news. The Palace said they were “delighted” at their father’s happiness. However, many royal watchers didn’t believe that they were “delighted” to welcome the woman who played a part in destroying their parents’ marriage as their stepmom.
“Accepting Camilla as a fixture in their father’s life has been difficult for them,” royal biographer Penny Juror wrote on the subject (per Express).
Just before they tied the knot though, Prince Harry tried to show that he and William approved of Camilla when he declared: “She’s not a wicked stepmother. Look at the position she’s coming into. Don’t feel sorry for me and William, feel sorry for her … William and I love her to bits.”
Prince Harry and Prince William’s body language the day of the wedding
Prince Charles and Camilla said “I do” on April 9, 2005. Because they were both previously married and divorced they wed in a civil ceremony, which Queen Elizabeth II did not attend. William and Harry, who were 22 and 20 at the time, did attend the ceremony and according to the body language Blanca Cobb, a photo from that day shows the many emotions they may have been feeling.
In a wedding portrait released to the public, Cobb observed that Harry was looking to the right of the camera; a sign that he could have been feeling uneasy about the whole situation. “It seems odd that he wouldn’t be giving it his complete attention. Maybe something grabbed his attention, or maybe he just wasn’t into it and was just going through the motions,” Cobb told Cosmopolitan. She added that a “going through the motions” attitude in this scenario was reflected in Harry’s “posed smile,” but his relaxed hands show there wasn’t any real tension.
Cobb also pointed out that if you look closely, you can see that while his feet are wide apart, the left foot is slightly pulled up and twisted, meaning he wasn’t “feeling completely grounded.” She explained the stance could mean “he’s still unsure about the wedding, but it could also mean he’s not completely over the death of his mother.” Whatever the case, Harry didn’t appear confident on this day and something is definitely weighing on his mind in the photos.
As for Prince William, Cobb noted: “William’s smile is noticeably more stiff and plastered across his face than Harry’s was and his curled fingers suggest he’s feeling a little nervous or some anxiety.”
Princess Diana’s friend says the princes never accepted Camilla just ‘tolerated’ her
Princess Diana’s friend former Vanity Fair editor and author Tina Brown wrote in her book The Palace Papers that William and Harry never warmed up to Camilla.
“One carefully managed myth peddled by Mark Bolland [Charles’ public relations executive] was that the boys had warmed to Camilla. But they tolerated her at best,” Brown said, adding, “In his early 30s, Harry was still complaining bitterly to friends that Camilla had converted his old bedroom at Highgrove, Charles’s Gloucestershire estate, into an elaborate dressing room for herself.”
