Princess Charlotte Had a Rare ‘Extra Shy’ Moment At Wimbledon
Princess Charlotte might’ve looked cool as a cucumber at Wimbledon’s Centre Court, but an expert says she also had an “extra shy” moment. An off-the-court interaction with the Wimbledon winner had Charlotte hiding behind Prince George.
Charlotte looked like an ‘excited young fan’ at Wimbledon with Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Prince George
Sitting in the royal box alongside her parents, Prince William and Kate Middleton, and her older brother, George, Charlotte abandoned her “princess” role, body language expert Judi James told the U.K.’s Express.
Instead, she cheered Carlos Alcaraz as he beat the defending Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic. Charlotte looked like an “excited young fan as she threw herself into her support signals,” James said.
Not only could she be glimpsed “shouting out for him to win,” but Charlotte “also threw her arms in the air with what looked like an open-mouthed roar of victory at match point.”
“There was one extra important ‘tell’ in her body language, too,” James added. “While her arms were flung upward, her fingers were still crossed, suggesting she’d been willing the young Spanish player to win for quite a while.”
Charlotte became a ‘shy fan’ meeting Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon
When it came to meeting Alcaraz after his big win, Charlotte switched from “‘warrior mode” to “shy fan.” The 8-year-old appeared to be “clapping him with her fingertips before clutching at her skirt,” James said.
Without her mother, the Princess of Wales, Charlotte’s shyness seemed to only increase. “When Kate stepped away to let Alcaraz meet other friends and family, Charlotte suddenly and sweetly became extra shy.”
Upon realizing Kate left, Charlotte “quickly ducked round behind her brother in an uncharacteristic moment of diffidence.”
Princess Charlotte’s ‘shy’ moments are offset by ‘signs of growing independence’
Charlotte, as James noted after the young royal’s 2022 Cardiff Castle visit, can sometimes go between “shy” and “confident.”
“Charlotte can show signs of growing independence,” the expert said at the time (via The Sun). “But she can also appear to be quite understandably shy during some of these recent public appearances.”
“On the one hand, we have the little girl happy to root in her grandmother Camilla’s handbag during their carriage ride and to refuse the hand that dad William offers for a reassuring clasp.”
“On the other hand,” James continued, “we can see a girl who will need some gentle nudging from mum Kate to move forward and join in the royal meet and greets.”
Kate, the expert added, offered “what looks like exactly the right amount of body language cues of reassurance and approval to draw out her daughter’s more confident and playful side” in Wales.
Kate provided “anchoring touches at times” and held Charlotte’s hand “when needed.” She also gave her daughter some “small nudges forward” as well as “reminders to smile that suggest she’s been doing some coaching behind the scenes.”
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