What was really going on with Princess Charlotte at Trooping the Colour? A
body language expert read between the lines and gave us the inside scoop.
On June 17th, royal fans and British citizens gathered for Trooping the Colour,
an annual event detailed on the royal family website as a parade celebrating the reigning
monarch's birthday. This year's event marked King Charles' first as monarch following his
coronation in May 2023. As with previous years, the celebration was nothing short of elaborate.
However, in a twist of events, the king rode on a horse during the parade — making it, per the BBC,
the first time in 30 years that a monarch opted for a horse rather than a carriage.
While the spotlight might have been cast on him, King Charles was joined
by several prominent members of the royal family, including his wife Queen Camilla,
and the Prince and Princess of Wales, as well as Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh,
and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh. In addition to the royals,
the celebration also welcomed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. Visibly missing were Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle.
However, amid the festivities, the royal waves,
and all of the many fashion statements at this year's Trooping the Colour, the Cambridge
kids — particularly Princess Charlotte — seem to have enjoyed special care from their grandfather.
He has his hands full ruling the UK, but King Charles is apparently never too busy
to dote on his granddaughter. While appearing on Buckingham Palace's famous balcony for this
year's Trooping the Colour, Charlotte led the way among the Cambridge kids, eventually
planting herself beside her grandfather, who in turn briefly placed his hand on her shoulder,
as seen in this clip shared on Twitter. This exchange is testament to the sweet bond between
the king and his 8-year-old granddaughter, body language expert and author of "A.W.E.S.O.M.E.:
Seven Keys to Unlocking the Speaker Within," Jess Ponce III tells The List. Ponce explained,
"This loving hand gesture suggests a balance between guidance, literally making sure she
is situated appropriately, and affection. The King even looks at her, as if to make
sure she's both appropriate and okay. He is both warm and cautious in his expression."
As Ponce described, despite the celebrations going on around her,
the princess' body language in this clip suggests she's less interested in the
occasion and more in her father and King Charles. Ponce added,
"She is present in their energy, seems to be a part of their personal experience,
and is less involved in the formality of the situation."
And while Charlotte might have caught her father's attention,
Ponce noted that the Prince of Wales did his best to tend to his two other kids.
She might be only 8 years old, but Princess Charlotte is arguably one of King Charles'
favorite members of the royal family — and understandably so. According to Express,
the princess was named Charlotte, the feminine version of Charles,
as a nod to her grandfather. Today, this decision barely comes as a surprise given that
the monarch has since admitted he always wanted a female grandchild. King Charles said in 2015,
"I was hoping for a granddaughter — someone to look after me when I am very old."
In the time that has passed since then, Charles has continued to speak
fondly of the little princess, whom he once praised for her sleeping habits as a child.
Seemingly backing the fondness between the two, royal author Robert Jobson claims in his 2023
biography "Our King: Charles III: The Man and the Monarch Revealed," that the monarch has
plans to someday bestow his granddaughter with the Duchess of Edinburgh title. Jobson wrote,
"After Edward [the current Duke of Edinburgh] dies,
Charles has made it clear Charlotte should become Duchess of Edinburgh."
But, despite his obvious affection for Charlotte, King Charles has also proven
to have a great relationship with the other Cambridge kids — particularly Prince George,
who's set to rule England someday. Royal correspondent Charles Rae once told Metro,
"[Charles] is going to be more
hands-on. He will be part of the process of teaching George about kingship."