Royal family

Body Language Expert Says King Charles’ Closest Friend in the Royal Family Is Kate Middleton

A body language expert looks at the signs that King Charles has a close friendship with Kate Middleton. Their expressions and gestures when they're together are revealing.

by Wendy Michaels

Published on February 12, 2023

2 min read

King Charles has had a ‘slow-burn friendship’ with Kate Middleton

Body language expert Judi James shared her analysis of King Charles and Kate’s relationship with Express, saying that Charles has had a “slow-burn friendship” with the Princess of Wales.

“Charles has often seemed a rather solitary man who has preferred the company of more paternal, intellectual figures as confidants and friends in his life, like Lawrence Van De Post and Lord Mountbatten, but he does seem to have created a rather slow-burn friendship with and fondness for one other top-tier royal,” James explained.

She continued, “Kate Middleton might not have been an instant choice for Charles to gravitate towards. She has no apparent love of the kind of horse-related sports Charles adores, like polo.”

The expert noted, “More dangerously, Kate could have provided the kind of risk that Charles seems to hate, which is the natural ability to upstage her father-in-law with her star quality.”

Kate ‘tunes into Charles,’ expert says, creating ‘deeper bonds’ between them

Although Kate often grabs attention, she has a quality that “makes Charles look like the most important royal when they appear together in public” as she can “flatter him with her attention but without looking nervous or subservient,” according to James.

Kate isn’t focused on drama either, which is an appealing quality in the royal family. “She seems to have tapped into a shared sense of humor and she is clearly an adept peacemaker when it comes to family rifts,” James said. “Kate’s body language always looks calm and drama-free and she has also shown two specific ways that she tunes into Charles to provide deeper bonds.”

One example is when the Princess of Wales showed a supportive and comforting gesture toward Charles at Philip’s funeral.

“Firstly, there were her gestures of sympathy and comfort at Philip’s funeral, where she was seen placing an arm around Charles’ shoulders and using eye contact in a very natural way that cut through any protocol norms in public,” James said.

There was also a portrait that captured Prince Louis having a playful moment with Charles as Kate held the baby. James said of the photo, “Kate clearly knew her father-in-law well enough to lean forward to encourage this playful move rather than stopping Louis and stepping back. This was an unusual pose from Charles and Kate clearly knew him well enough to encourage it.”

King Charles and Kate Middleton have been seen sharing a laugh together, expert points out

The two often look happy around each other, with James noting how Charles will “pick Kate out at public events and move to chat and laugh with her with what looks like enthusiasm and delight, often cutting across other royals to share a joke.”

James added, “One trait he must have learned to cherish in Kate is her loyalty and that trait must feel even more precious to him given the recent disloyalty from his own son Harry.”