Prince Edward's 'informal' gesture at wedding to Sophie Wessex reveals royal's 'cheeky' personality

Prince Edward’s 'informal gesture' at his wedding to Sophie Wessex revealed the royal’s 'cheeky' personality, a body language expert has revealed. 

• Prince Edward made an 'informal gesture' that reflected his 'cheeky' personality at his royal wedding to Sophie Wessex, a body language expert has revealed. 
• The Queen's youngest son famously winked at his girlfriend of six years moments before they exchanged vows at St. George's Chapel in June 1999. 
• In other royal news, Kate Middleton finds new 'ball-breaker' personal secretary after seeking 'a different kind of courtier'.
  

Prince Edward made an ‘informal gesture’ at his wedding to Sophie Wessex that reflected his ‘cheeky’ persona, a body language expert has revealed. 

The youngest of Queen Elizabeth II's children married the former PR consultant at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor in June 1999, six years after the couple first started dating. The nuptials was notably less formal than those of more senior royals, with no military or ceremonial state officials present and no politicians invited to the high-profile event. 

To make things even more casual, Sophie even requested that guests follow a dress code of evening attire rather than the court dress historically favored at royal weddings. As such, ladies were asked to wear cocktail gowns without hats, and men were advised to arrive in their best morning suits. 

This laid-back attitude was further reflected in Edward’s behavior during the televised special ceremony, which was refreshingly relaxed for a royal groom. One photograph from the 45-minute-long service appears to show the Earl of Wessex winking at Sophie before they said their 'I do's', much to the amusement of the congregation of 500 witnesses and the 200 million viewers watching around the world. 

According to body language expert Judi James, Prince Edward’s ‘cheeky’ message to  Sophie had a dual purpose. 

"His wink as she walked up the aisle was a slightly cheeky gesture of reassurance and admiration or approval, that looks as though it also doubled as a way of relaxing her nerves," she told Express.co.uk, after noting that the prince "clearly revelled in the attention and royal ceremony of his wedding day." 

After they tied the knot, the newly-appointed Earl and Countess of Wessex walked outside the chapel to greet the 8,000 members of the public waiting to share their good wishes. The newlyweds ignored requests from photographers to kiss for the cameras, opting to smile and wave instead before heading to their wedding reception at Windsor Castle. 

Edward's wink at Sophie may seem incongruent with the prince's current public persona, but at the time, it wasn't exactly out of character. 

"The winking might look like an extraordinarily informal gesture from a Prince who now keeps a much lower and even slightly diffident profile these days," James explained. 

"But back in the day, he was known as being the Prince who wanted a career in the performing arts and who organized the infamous 'It’s A Royal Knockout' to try to show the lighter, more playful side of the Royal Family."