Prince William ‘Stepped Up’ as ‘Clear Leader’ at Queen’s Vigil, Body Language Expert Says

Prince William’s body language during Queen Elizabeth’s vigil with Prince Harry and his cousins showed he was the “clear leader” of the group, an expert said. William displayed body language that proves his confidence as “next king in line.”

Queen Elizabeth’s grandchildren stood vigil at her coffin

On Sept. 17, the queen’s eight grandchildren gathered to stand vigil at her coffin for 15 minutes of silence in Westminster Hall.

Prince William led the group, followed by Prince Harry, with both men dressed in their military uniforms. Their cousins, Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor, and James, Viscount Severn followed in formation behind them.

William stood at the head and Harry was at the foot of the coffin, with the other family members positioned around the area, all with their heads bowed and hands crossed.

Prince William’s body language showed him as the ‘clear leader,’ expert says

Prince William led the group in and out of the vigil, a move which body language expert Judi James told Daily Mail made him the “clear leader.”

“Leading the grandchildren and with his jaw firmly set, William’s body language showed acutely how much he has stepped up in terms of his role of Prince of Wales and next king in line since the death of the queen,” James explained. 

She continued, “William has lost some of his shyness and anxiety signals over the last few days as he has appeared to have grown in stature and confidence.”

James added, “His walkabout in the crowd prior to the vigil showed his engaging, social side and here at the vigil itself he looked like the rock that the others were drawing strength from.”

The expert also looked at Harry who had a “slightly dipped head” so only a bit of his “rather clamped, straight line of his mouth” could be seen. “His posture and his marching walk reflected pride in the fact he was in uniform again but this was more of a quietly emotional appearance overall,” she explained.

“William led the group and he and Harry were the only siblings not walking side by side. In his uniform, Harry became pure military: expressionless and upright with his clamped mouth just a bland horizontal line,” James added.

There was a ‘sense of duty’ on display, expert shares

James also took a closer look at the grandchildren and how they showed “dignity and sense of duty” in the moment.

“Marching out in step they silently took their places around her coffin and from the moment they adopted their poses the stillness from all of them was incredible,” she said. “Even in close-up it was almost impossible to see them even breathing. They stemmed any tears and they showed no signs of nervousness or tension, just dignity and sense of duty.”

Zara displayed “a very determined and confident walk” and both she and Peter had “a certain amount of muscle tension with a look of determination in the set of their jaws.”

James added, “Beatrice and Eugenie have been so openly emotional about the loss of their grandmother, both weeping and hugging each other or holding hands but last night they applied a kind of regal self-control, exchanging no glances or looks of support but managing their vigils in stillness and silence.”

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