Royals pulling pints: why some 'project confidence' while others demonstrate they are 'out of touch'

At a number of royal engagements, members of the Royal Family have been photographed behind bars pulling pints. But which royals seem totally at ease with the task, while others are completely out of touch?

• The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are currently on a royal tour in Canada in celebration of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
• As part of the tour, the couple visited the Quidi Vidi Brewery and poured themselves some pints.
• In other royal news, the Queen beams as she receives an incredibly rare gift that's close to her heart.

While in Canada, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles got to work behind a bar and poured themselves a couple of pints. Unfortunately for the royal couple, they were not particularly successful with this venture and both seemed 'out of touch and awkward' when trying to pull pints according to a body language expert.

Body language expert Judi James told woman&home, "Their pint-pulling efforts in Canada are woeful, especially since it is not the first time they’ve tried their hands at the pumps."

Judi added that Prince Charles seemed frustrated and 'defeated' by the task, "both arrive looking wary and totally lacking in confidence as they step behind the bar. Charles manages to pour himself a bubble bath of mainly foam. His body language suggests an air of defeat and mild irritation, probably with himself. He grimaces a couple of times and performs a mouth-shrug, giving up halfway and putting the beer back on the bar."

"Both he and Camilla give the impression of being out-of-touch and awkward, a nod to more old-fashioned royal behavior where everyday tasks were not on the agenda," added Judi as she discussed the Prince's inability to complete this simple task. 

"Charles does have the good humor to laugh at himself at the end though," added Judi pointing to the Prince of Wales' redeeming sense of humor.

But Prince Charles and Camilla are not the only members of the Royal Family to get behind a bar and pull themselves a pint. In Northern Ireland in 2019, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were taught how to pour pints and looked pretty confident as they smiled and drank beer.

"Kate pulls a pint in much the same way that she performs her royal duties: with an air of smiling elegance mixed with what looks like a quiet determination to get it right," said the expert. 

Judi added that like with most of Kate's engagements, she projects confidence and happily shares the limelight with Prince William while doing so. 

"She looks as though she knows what she’s doing and, with a head tilt and then a raised chin, she manages to project confidence despite the fact that William turns away politely as she pours. Unlike Charles, Kate automatically turns this into a fun double act too, handing William the pint first before sharing it with him as they laugh together," said Judi.

Judi added that for Prince William, it's all about getting it right and looking experienced when he's pouring a pint. 

"He might be smiling and chatting but his eyes never leave the glass and when he finishes he holds the pint up for evaluation before returning it to the pump because it’s not quite full enough. His hand on the pump suggests a confident and experienced touch and he actually looks keen to try the beer after it has been poured," said Judi.

The Queen Mother was even once photographed pouring herself a pint of bitter when she visited a pub called The Queen's Head in 1987. 

Her Royal Highness poured herself a pint of Young's bitter and reportedly declared it was even better than a glass of champagne. 

Judi said that of all the royal pint pullers, the Queen Mother was the one who seemed 'most at home' while behind the bar.

"Perhaps the most at-home-looking royal was, surprisingly, the Queen Mother though. Standing in the middle of the floor of the pub she doesn’t just sip her pint or pretend to sip as some royals do, she looks totally at home and relatable, drinking her pint with the usual vacant-looking eye stare of someone who is savoring every drop of a good beer," said Judi.

She added that the Queen's mother still managed to look poised as she enjoyed her beverage. "She even managed to drink it despite having a netting veil covering her upper face, and that raised hand suggests she isn’t going to stop until every drop is drunk," concluded Judi.