Queen Elizabeth’s Body Language Reveals More About Her Secret Emotions Than You Think
Queen Elizabeth is notorious for keeping her opinions hidden. The reason it makes headlines when Her Majesty does convey emotions is that it’s so rare to see. For example, she welcomes a variety of different guests to Buckingham Palace and treats them all cordially. You’d never know that she despises some of them, including one person she hid in the bushes to avoid.
But there’s one place where the queen can’t completely mask her feelings and that’s in her body language. While Her Majesty is well versed in etiquette rules, such as not standing with her arms crossed to ensure she remains approachable, there are subtle clues that show what Queen Elizabeth really thinks.
One body language expert analyzed photos of Queen Elizabeth and her findings were surprising.
Queen Elizabeth holds her own purse
Plenty of celebrities use handbags as props or fashion accessories, but body language expert Patti Wood said that the queen uses hers a little differently, Reader’s Digest reported. She looked at a photo of young Elizabeth, then a princess, clutching her bag firmly with both hands. This 1930s snapshot shows the queen asserting her control and independence, two traits she still exudes today.
The queen still holds her own handbag even though there are people who could do it for her. It’s widely believed that Her Majesty uses the bag to send secret signals to her staff, like when she’s finished speaking with someone at an event and would like to exit the conversation. Either way, she’s still in control.
She loves her husband
The queen and Prince Philip have been through so much together. The sweetest photos of this pair show Elizabeth and Philip gazing adoringly at each other just like so many newlyweds do.
Even though Queen Elizabeth is the more powerful person in the relationship, technically speaking, she often demurred to her husband’s alpha male personality. Wood explains how in this photo from their newlywed days, Philip walks slightly ahead, while Elizabeth takes a backseat.
“Also notice his broad forward, uplifted gesture,” Wood said. “You can tell she is enamored with his energy.”
The queen gets down to William and Harry’s level
Though Queen Elizabeth has been criticized for not being particularly maternal, especially not with her older two children, she showed off a different side of herself in this snapshot with the young princes William and Harry.
In it, she leans down slightly to see the world from their vantage point, a classic move that shows she desires to be closer to them. There are plenty of photos of both Princess Diana and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge adopting the same posture with young children.
She had a horrible year
The queen dubbed 1992 her “annus horribilis,” when nothing seemed to go right. This photo of Her Majesty delivering a speech about all the unfortunate events from the year shows the queen maintaining composure, even in the face of hardship.
Wood explains that even though her mouth is tense, she’s also exhibiting steely resolve, confident in her ability to move past the crises.
Queen Elizabeth loves her family
Though she takes her role as monarch very seriously, Elizabeth has been known to cut loose and have a little fun sometimes. This candid snapshot of her laughing with her grandson, Prince William, proves the genuine warmth and affection these two have for each other.
In this single moment, the queen lets down her guard and allows her true feelings to shine through. It’s the perfect example of how the queen knows when to be serious and when to just relax.
