Princess Diana ‘Surrendered’ to Prince Charles on Buckingham Palace Balcony: Body Language Expert
The wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana was called “the wedding of the century.” From the outside, it appeared to be one of modern history’s most romantic, fairy-tale moments. However, from the insider perspective, Charles and Diana’s wedding seemed to be anything but. A sign of how things went wrong was watching Diana as she “surrendered” to Charles on the Buckingham Palace balcony. The new Princess of Wales received a less-than-expected response from her new husband, says a body language expert.
A body language expert claims Princess Diana and Prince Charles had relationship ‘red flags’
As reported by The Sun, body language expert Judi James called out plenty of “red flags” during Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding day. However, one stood out most of all: the couple’s first public kiss on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
The kiss that signaled the beginning of their married life to the public played into the day’s romance. However, James believes despite her reservations regarding the marriage, Diana was prepared to “abandon her life and heart to Charles.”
“Leaning towards him, she turns and throws back her head, stretches, and bares her neck in a gesture that signals high levels of surrender and trust in him now that he is her husband. Her belief in fairytale romance is obvious here, despite all the glaring red flags to suggest the opposite,” James explains.
Diana realized the royal ‘pecking order’ during her first balcony appearance
Judi James believes the newly-minted Princess of Wales knew her place within the family. She, Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and other senior royals gathered on the Buckingham Palace balcony to wave to the crowds below.
James explained, “Standing with the small bridesmaids, [Diana] showed how much children were her priority. And how much her sons would be another future source of her happiness. The pecking order was made clear here, and the Queen was at the front with her son just behind her.”
The body language expert concludes that “Diana’s dipped head and shy smile” suggest she felt more comfortable remaining out of the spotlight. She later revealed in the book Diana: Her True Story that once the furor of the wedding day was over, she and Charles would settle comfortably into marriage.
Little did Diana know that public interest in her life would reach a fever pitch throughout their union. Diana would become the most famous royal in modern history, driving a wedge between her and Charles, who felt resentful toward his wife.
The princess’ fears almost caused her to cancel the wedding
The night before Princess Diana married Prince Charles, she was so overwrought with nerves she considered canceling the entire event. In Diana: Her True Story, author Andrew Morton shared details of her nervous remarks.
However, although her nerves overtook her, Diana told Morton she felt like a “lamb to the slaughter.” She was only 20 years old and unprepared for her new life as a senior royal family member.
But that didn’t mean Diana was so naive that she didn’t realize her life would never be the fairy tale she envisioned. She reportedly understood that Charles was still very much involved with his mistress, Camilla Parker Bowles. Until the day before their wedding, Morton wrote that Charles and Camilla had managed to carve out some private time together.
But, when Charles sent her a signet ring with the Prince of Wales feathers and a card that told him how proud he was of her, Diana felt a glimmer of hope. However, that moment did little to quell her calling the wedding “the most emotionally confusing day of my life.”
Princess Diana and Prince Charles would remain married for 15 years. They welcomed two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. Diana ultimately died in a car crash in Paris, France, in 1997, one year after her divorce from Charles was finalized.
