We could see William and Catherine in this year's Commonwealth Day Service and it was
easy to see that they felt really comfortable and happy.
So let's compare Catherine's attitude in prior years so you can spot the differences before
and after...
Megxit.
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my name is Jesús Enrique Rosas, I'm the Body Language Guy, and it would be great if you
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This is something that we could not do last year, since Commonwealth Service in 2021 was
suspended due to the pandemic.
But just by having three snapshots side by side from the last three editions, we can
see a couple patterns.
It's no doubt that color is a big part of our behavior, and we always tend to pick colors
that reflect our inner state.
Yes, we might have a favorite tone, but in Catherine we are used to see dresses all over
the spectrum, so we can guess that this variety is a decision she has made.
Now, just as a reminder, both in 2019 and in 2020 this service was attended by the Harkles,
and precisely on 2020 it was their last engagement as royals.
I've covered a couple scenes from those interactions, including how Sophie pierced Meghan with her
eyes, so the state of friction had already reached boiling point.
But I showed you these three pictures of Catherine's color pick, because that's another channel
of nonverbal communication.
When you see someone, man or woman, pick an attire in particular, there's a drive and
intention behind that, even if the reasons are purely emotional.
And the best way to confirm that there is an evolution in Catherine, is to look at previous
years of the same event.
Yeah, 2017 is missing because the Cambridges did not attend Commonwealth service that year.
You can see the stark change in palette, as she used to wear desaturated, neutral colors
that didn't stand out that much.
And that dark blue pick was right before Harry and Meghan got married.
So, you can imagine how striking would have been the message she sent on 2019 when she
appeared with that scarlet double breasted coat.
It's really hard to miss that this looks a lot like some British military uniforms, and
that style of two rows of buttons on double breasted jackets and coats is still a trend
in modern fashion.
Maybe you can also remember that, original sailor pea coats have a similar design, double
breasted and double sets of buttons.
And you cannot but associate that style with a rugged man of the sea.
So, both with design, related to military uniforms, and color, wearing not just any
kind of red, but scarlet, maybe crimson, it was more that obvious that Catherine was sending
a message.
That this was war.
And of course, you remember what color did Meghan wear to that event.
Yeah, the MARSHmallow dress.
The purity of white that signals innocence.
Now, there is a possibility that they had some sort of communication to make sure that
they did not wear the same color, or similar shades of it.
That's normal in this kind of engagements.
But each one of them did pick a color to suit what they wanted to communicate.
And I don't know how did I miss this detail so many times, but it was not until I saw
a high definition picture that I could make out that "breaking the chain" pattern on Meghan's
dress.
If that's not foreshadowing, then I don't know what it is.
And no, you cannot judge a whole event for a single picture, so it's better to take with
a grain of salt your perceptions of moments like this one, where you can see both Catherine
and Meghan not facing each other, but you instantly assume that their expressions are
the product of that proximity.
And that's a mistake that we usually make when we are watching facial expressions in
pictures.
At the very least, you should see an interaction, or a before and after.
There ARE certain moments like that kiss, where we never see Meghan's hand fully placed
on Catherine's arm, and her fingers are tense.
Now, you can only imagine that frictions beyond this point could only escalate, up to that
2020 Commonwealth Day Service.
What's so funny is that Catherine's dress that day was definitely crimson, with the
same double breasted coat with two sets of buttons and a similar hat and hairstyle.
So the, "war" flag was still waving.
Again, that's a message that Catherine wanted to convey, to project at that moment.
But it's really easy to fall on the bias of just looking for images when Catherine is
not smiling.
Well, on one hand it's hard enough to find photos where she doesn't have a pleasant face,
so being able to get just a few neutral expressions is telling enough.
But it would be much better if we compare smiles.
Because it doesn't make sense to compare different emotional displays.
It would be like saying that in one event she was sad, when she actually displayed different
emotions, and in the other she was happy, just by picking one photo from each.
In fact, comparing smiles, is something that we do on a regular basis.
And that's the hunch when a friend, or a family member doesn't have the spirit they used to
display, or there is a change in attitude.
That's the moment you say, this is not how I remember this person.
This is not their usual attitude.
Something must be happening.
So, we cannot compare all smiles, because that would take too long.
But I picked three good examples of her smiles in the last three years.
Now, you have all the right in the world to think that I chose these three smiles on purpose,
so it's much better that if you want to take this exercise one step further, do a google
search of "Catherine smiling Commonwealth Day Service", for each year, and take a look
yourself at the smiles you're gonna get in each case.
The pattern that I identified, is that in 2019 Catherine's smiles were much more complete,
full, than in 2020.
It's like the smiles from 2020 did not have enough energy behind them.
There was this intention of charisma, of feeling joy, and Catherine is very good at projecting
that, but it's like she lacked that extra something that usually defines her attitude
in public engagements, like this picture from this year, together with William.
Sometimes it's a bit hard to define what makes you 'feel' a smile or a facial expression.
And it always helps if you have known the person for some time.
In this case, many people have been following Catherine for more than a decade, so it's
no wonder that they are extremely adept at knowing when something is wrong with her.
Others, well...
they need people to ask if they're OK.
In fact, that knowledge of years will always be more powerful than any body language expert.
And it happens to me, as I keep on reviewing videos and photos of Cambridges and Sussexes.
That's why I take a look at pictures like this, and I can say that Catherine felt really
comfortable this time.
There was joy, there was hope for the future in her smile.
She's way more confident and serene than in previous years.
And it's no wonder that she chose a very bright blue that not only got all eyes on her, but
at the same time helped convey that serenity, which is one of the attributes of this color.
We need to come back to this image of the three coats, to notice a big difference here.
In both 2019 and 2020, the coat she was wearing almost covered her neck from both sides.
That, together with the double breasted feature, is a garment that helps you feel protected.
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that allegedly, Meghan gave her a knife for
christmas.
You know, as... a joke.
Because I guess that Meghan is the kind of person that finds knives funny.
But this year's blue coat does not have that protection, so she is exposing her throat
in a very confident way, not to mention that the hat doesn't cover any part of her face,
a feature that also has defensive connotations, and was her choosing in the two previous years.
So, what we see now, after Megxit, is a more confident, open Catherine that looks way more
joyful than in those years where the friction with the Harkles could have been causing unnecessary
stress at Kensington Palace.
Just remember that people send messages with their clothing.
How we dress, is a nonverbal statement as strong as our gestures, and reveal a lot about
personality and inner states.
I'm sure you'll find this useful sooner than you think.
If you want to refine your observation skills, all you have to do is download my 100+ body
language tips, right in the description of this video.
My name is Jesús Enrique Rosas and it will always be a pleasure, my body language buddies!
Much Love, and Bliss.