Kate Middleton ‘Does Everything to Not Look Like a Royal’ During Visit With Children, Body Language Expert Says
Kate Middleton appears in a new video for one of her patronages, Place2Be, to kick off Children’s Mental Health Week. In the video, the Princess of Wales talks to children about the importance of connections. A body language expert provided an analysis of Kate’s video, pointing out how she is able to engage the children.
Kate Middleton spoke with children in a video for Children’s Mental Health Week
In the video, Kate chatted with students from St. John’s Church of England Primary. The theme for this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week is “Let’s Connect” and the Princess of Wales discussed how to make connections to support mental health while they made paper chains together.
“I’m delighted to be supporting Children’s Mental Health Week yet again, and it’s lovely to be here at St. John’s Primary School,” she said. “It’s been wonderful to speak to so many children here about the importance of connections and the important people in their lives too.”
One boy remarked, “connecting releases our emotions to other people that you care about.”
Kate responded, “Absolutely. It helps you feel part of things, doesn’t it? Makes you feel like you’ve got relationships and people in your lives that matter.”
The Princess of Wales asked how the children handled strong feelings. One child answered, “I take deep breaths in and I drink a glass of water.”
At the end, Kate told the children, “Well, thank you for having a chat with me today. And keep talking about your feelings and keep asking others how they’re doing and helping them to talk about their feelings as well.”
She noted, “I’m a firm believer in giving children the skills that they need for life and focusing on their social and emotional development.”
Expert analyzes Kate Middleton’s body language in the video
Body language expert Judi James analyzed the video, telling Express, “Kate’s confidence has grown over the last three or four years.”
James explained, “The piece to camera reflects that as she puts her message across using bouncing rituals and a head tilt and a dimpled, shared smile to register enthusiasm that comes across as contagious.”
The expert continued, “She looks warm and engaged here, but it is when she is filmed sitting with the children that she really displays her capacity for a very skillful but relaxed approach that allows them to share their thoughts and feelings despite the presence of the cameras.”
The expert added, “Plus she truly appears to be enjoying herself!”
Kate makes the children comfortable by a ‘distracting technique,’ expert says
James pointed out how Kate created a comfortable environment for the children by using a “distracting technique.”
The body language expert noted, “Kate does everything here to not look like a royal on a visit. Her role is more as a facilitator and motivator, making the children feel comfortable about answering her questions.”
James continued, “She uses her own body language to draw their thoughts out, making the conversation sound as natural as possible but showing active listening signals to make them feel important.”
Kate also used “some gentle tie-signs,” the expert said. The Princess of Wales displayed “a subtle widening of the eye; a lean forward to lower her status while raising theirs, or a colluding smile to encourage them [the children] to speak.”
James noted, “She is also using the kind of distracting technique that parents and teachers often know about, helping the children to make paper decorations while questioning them to make the chat feel more natural and to keep them relaxed.”
The expert added, “Kate does seem to be in her element here, not relishing her own performance, but using her own skills to help the children relax and enjoy sharing their thoughts. She even manages to look totally at home making her own paper chains.”
Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
