Kate Middleton and Sophie ‘Cemented’ Their Friendship at Royal Ascot, Body Language Expert Says
Kate Middleton and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, look like besties now. According to a body language expert, the Princess of Wales revealed her “fun side” with Sophie at the 2023 Royal Ascot.
Kate had a ‘delighted smile of amused friendship’ on her face talking to Sophie at the 2023 Royal Ascot
It was off to the races for Kate and Sophie at the 2023 Royal Ascot. The two women were among the many royals to attend day four of the annual horseracing event on June 23. There, per body language expert Judi James, Sophie and Kate looked close.
Kate, James told the U.K.’s Express, “normally reserves reveals of her fun side for body language moments with her husband,” Prince William. However, that wasn’t the case at the 2023 Royal Ascot.
“Kate and Sophie’s faces” appeared to “light up when they met,” James said. Meanwhile, “Kate seemed to use a delighted smile of amused friendship as they chatted together.”
Kate, the expert added, has “always shown strong bonding with Sophie, but watching the pair at Ascot might just have cemented them as ‘best friends’ in the royal family.” They were “mirroring each other” with similar body language and their “tie signs” pointed to “shared inner” humor.
Kate gave a rare ‘thumbs-up’ at the Royal Ascot racecourse with Sophie
James continued, saying Kate’s gestures were somewhat unusual for her at a big event. Rather, more animated as opposed to Kate’s typically more reserved body language.
Take, for instance, the 41-year-old giving a “thumbs up” while talking with Sophie. “This is almost the first time we have seen Kate using a rather jolly thumbs-up gesture in public,” James said.
In fact, as James observed, Kate took after her and the Prince of Wales’s youngest child, 5-year-old Prince Louis.
“Kate seemed to have been picking up on some of her son Louis’s playful public traits at Ascot,” the body language expert said. “And it looked very much as though Sophie is her ‘trigger’ friend in terms of relaxed fun.”
Sophie and Kate also looked friendly at the 2023 Order of the Garter service
The 2023 Royal Ascot wasn’t the first time the Princess of Wales and Duchess of Edinburgh had some fun at a big event. Just days before their Royal Ascot appearance, the two were spotted giggling at the 2023 Order of the Garter service.
As James previously said, Kate and Sophie were likely laughing at the cloaks and feathered caps their husbands were wearing for the occasion.
“It has always seemed to be something of a shared joke that the men try to keep a straight face as they parade past their wives like this,” the expert told Express. Meanwhile, the “sight of the wives grinning or laughing is quite a common response.”
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