Kate Middleton uses one simple trick to look elegant while drinking and I might have to give it a go
The Princess of Wales has mastered the perfect technique to avoid being pictured with 'googly eyes' over the rim of cups and glasses
The Princess of Wales is one of the most photographed people in the world so it's no surprise that she's become an expert at looking elegant and poised at almost every angle. This goes right down to how she drinks her tea and although most of us will never have thought about this that deeply, the future Queen reportedly "knows exactly" what she's doing.
In episode 3 of Channel 5's new series, Buckingham Palace: A Year in the Life, one of Britain's leading etiquette experts, Laura Windsor, revealed Kate's clever trick and it couldn't be easier.
"When you're drinking tea, try and look inside the cup because it looks more elegant. There's nothing worse than sipping your tea with googly eyes," she explained. "So always look into the cup and Princess Catherine does this beautifully. She looks inside the cup, she knows exactly what she's doing and that is all about elegance."
The Princess's simple method is discreet but there are still plenty of occasions over the years where you can spot her looking down at her drink in pictures. It's not just something she does with cups of tea either. Kate also looks inside glasses when she's drinking champagne or wine at receptions, or smoothies at engagements.
There are inevitably going to be times when she doesn't follow her own tip, though it's interesting to see Laura demonstrate it in the documentary. She's right when it says it looks "elegant" and the Princess of Wales uses it to create this sense of sophistication in real life as well as in pictures taken of her at different occasions.
Kate has got to grips with being photographed all the time and is very aware that eye placement matters, thanks to a helpful piece of advice from Prince Philip.
The late Duke of Edinburgh reportedly told her, "'If you believe the attention is for you personally', he warned her, 'you're going to end up in trouble. The attention is for your role, what you do, what you're supporting."
"It isn't for you as an individual. You are not a celebrity. You are representing the royal family. That's all. Don't look at the camera," he added, as per his biographer Gyles Brandreth. "The Queen never looks at the camera. Never. Look at who you're talking to."
There are no doubt loads more tips and tricks where that came from and the Princess of Wales had to master them quickly after she became a member of the Royal Family. Just getting in and out of the royal cars wearing dresses or skirts without accidentally revealing a bit too much can be complicated for her.
Like the late Princess Diana famously often held her clutch bags over her chest for modesty when she was exiting a vehicle. She also used to press her knees together and swivel towards the door to avoid any wardrobe mishaps and her daughter-in-law can be seen doing this nowadays too.
All episodes of Buckingham Palace: A Year in the Life are available to stream on C5.
