Judi James, UK author and body language expert, said the royals appeared “surprised at how hard Philip’s death had hit them” during the service.Australian body language expert Dr Louise Mahler told News Corp the restriction on attendees due to COVID allowed for a moving ceremony and tribute, uncluttered by the distraction of a colourful moving public.It sent a strong message of ”unity”, a message key to Philip and the Queen.But each of them had their foibles and moments of strength. This is how the experts saw the key royal figures who paid their respects at the funeral:THE QUEEN Ms James said the Queen, who turns 95 next week, looked “very vulnerable and frail” as she arrived for the service, but remained “the most animated royal”.“When she was sitting in her seat at the chapel she was wearing a hat that covered her face mostly,” she said. “She was still in control of the day to a certain extent but there was a moment in the car on the way there when you could see her dabbing her eyes so she was clearly quite tearful.”Dr Mahler agreed that her body language showed she looked “small, frail and aged”. “As the Queen entered the church she was stooped and seemed to be favouring one side of her body, which is very unusual given her high standards of posture,” she said. “As she left the church the Queen looked small, frail and aged. It was all quite heartbreaking.”PRINCE CHARLESWhile Prince Charles “attempted to be stoic”, Ms James said he become upset during the coffin procession and became “isolated in his own grief” at the funeral.“He’s never shown much emotion but he did look genuinely distraught,” she said.“After the procession it was downhill all the way for him – his eyes got very red and damp as he followed the coffin, but by the time he got to the church he was visibly in tears.”Dr Mahler said Prince Charles was out of sync with the marching beat during the funeral procession.“ … his walk completely out of sync with his eyes forward and high. This was an act of defiance on his part and would have done nothing to endear himself to the public,” she said. Ms James wondered if there was any link between his behaviour on the day and the ongoing feud with Prince Harry over the Oprah tell-all. “(Harry) was quite scathing about his father in the interview … but Charles was too isolated in his own grief,” Ms James said.“I got the impression he was probably feeling as isolated as his mother was at that point.”Prince Philip was escorted in his coffin from Windsor Castle on a specially built Land Rover as his children and grandchildren walk behind.KATE AND WILLIAM Dr Mahler said Kate played the part of peacemaker with Prince Harry, engaging with him as he left the church and then keeping him engaged until William felt comfortable to step in.“She wonderfully kept Harry’s interaction and focus on her, taking the pressure off William,” she said. “Kate’s efforts led to a far more comfortable moment than it would have been as Harry and William walked together for a few hundred metres with neither seeming stressed or awkward in what looked like a calm amicable discussion.”“Kate carried the whole thing magnificently.”PRINCE HARRYMs James said before the exchange of words with Prince William and Kate outside St George’s Chapel, Prince Harry was “trying to look a bit nonchalant”, but had “building signs of anxiety”.“You could see him pulling his jacket or his waistcoat down and then when he got into the chapel he did a shoulder roll which is usually a sign that someone is bracing themselves and trying to make themselves feel more confident,” she said.“Then we had this quite amazing scene where … Harry caught up with them and walked quite naturally between them,” Ms James said.“Kate turned her head and was immensely affectionate and chatty and then after a breathtaking moment suddenly William turned round and (he and Harry) started chatting.“It was almost like the old days. Kate backed away which she wouldn’t have done if she thought there was going to be any problems.”Ms James said that the exchange “didn’t have the hallmarks” of a set up, and that the brothers looked “reasonably relaxed”.Dr Mahler added: “With the world focused on Harry and his interaction with his family, given the public airing of the breakdown in his and Meghan’s relationship with them, there was a clear intent to hide him as much as possible from the public eye.”“In the glimpses we did see of Harry, one caught my eye as he walked out of the church flapping the Order of Service on his thigh, a sign of impatience and in the end, disrespect.”PRINCE ANDREWDr Mahler said Prince Andrew was isolated and alone through the ceremony, highlighted as he ran to catch up to his daughters as he left the church, in a desperate effort to join their group.“Andrew is a picture of overindulgence, paying the price for his partying lifestyle, with his stomach swollen high under his ribs, lifting his chest so that twice as much white shirt was on display than any of the other men,” she said. “He kept his arms wide, and his body swayed strongly from left to right showing a lack of body balance.”“The service was beautiful and a fitting mark of respect for a man who dedicated his life of service, with a lesson for the public, forced to endure the exploits of fame seekers, to instead hear of a life lived for others.”Ms James said she found Andrew’s body language “slightly pompous”.“I imagine from the subtleties of his body language that he probably does believe he is back in the front line again now,” she said.
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