King Charles Looked Like an ‘Uncomfortable’ Grandfather With Prince George in Royal Family Photo
TL;DR:
- King Charles III’s 70th birthday was marked with a family photo.
- According to a body language expert, King Charles appeared “uncomfortable” as a “granddad” holding Prince George.
- Meanwhile, Camilla Parker Bowles looked more at ease in her grandparent role with Princess Charlotte.
Say, cheese. The royal family posed for a photo to mark King Charles III’s 70th birthday in 2018. According to an expert, the king’s body language with Prince William and Kate Middleton’s son, Prince George, seemed a tad “uncomfortable.” Why he looked “ slightly ill-at-ease,” ahead. Plus, who looked “much more relaxed” with the royal kids.
King Charles held Prince George like a box with the ‘word ‘fragile’ printed on the side’ in the family photo, expert says
The king snuggled up with his grandson, George, now 9, in the 2018 family photo. Released along with another never-before-seen photo to mark his milestone birthday, the king held George as he sat on a bench at Clarence House.
Around him were his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince Louis, and Princess Charlotte.
The king demonstrated “happy but slightly ill-at-ease” body language, expert Judi James said (via Cosmopolitan UK). His “leg splay and formal posture” indicated a “rather old-school style of regal status” while his “steepled brows” suggested “underlying anxiety.”
“As a granddad he looks uncomfortable here, grasping a rather playful-looking George around the ribs with the kind of tentative grip you’d use on a parcel with the word ‘Fragile’ printed on the side of the wrapping,” James said.
Camilla Parker Bowles looked like a ‘much more relaxed granny’ with Princess Charlotte, expert says
While the king appeared “uncomfortable” with George, now 9, that didn’t seem to the case with his wife. The queen consort looked at ease next to Charlotte, now 7, according to James.
“She is clearly a much more relaxed granny, chatting to little Charlotte who in turn nestles happily up beside her,” she said.
Camilla is the step-grandmother to the king’s five grandchildren. Additionally, she has five biological grandchildren.
Camilla became a grandparent in 2007. Meanwhile, the king didn’t become a grandparent until 2013 when William and Kate welcomed George. As for what Camilla’s grandchildren call her, she once revealed they refer to her as “GaGa.”
The family photo for King Charles’s birthday was an ‘absolute nightmare,’ according to a royal biography
Gathered around a bench on the grounds of Clarence House the royals may have seemed to be having a good time. However, getting them all in one place to actually take the photos was reportedly another story.
In Finding Freedom, a 2020 Harry and Meghan biography, authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand quoted a source who described planning the photo session as “an absolute nightmare.”
“The boys can be hot and cold with their father,” they said. And on this particular occasion, “Neither William nor Harry made much of an effort to make themselves available.”
Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
