Why Duchess Camilla is less confident in the company of Prince William and Harry

A body language expert says Camilla finds it hard to relax when at public engagements with the pair

Duchess Camilla
(Image credit: Getty)

Camilla has been a stepmother to both Prince William and Prince Harry for over 15 years, but a body language expert says she is more comfortable with her own children.


The Duchess of Cornwall, who will step in for the Queen at the Commonwealth, is used to attending public engagements with the royal family, including Prince William and Harry at last month's celebration for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee - but that doesn't mean she's entirely comfortable. 

Being a stepmother can be difficult, especially when you're in the public eye - now a body language expert has revealed that Camilla appears more comfortable in the company of her own children, Laura and Tom, than she does with her stepsons Prince William and Harry.

Camilla

(Image credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Judi James, a body language expert told the Express that the Duchess's body relaxes when she is in the company of her own children. She said,  "Camilla probably and quite naturally looks at her most relaxed when she appears alone with her children."

"In body language terms it’s as though all the jigsaw pieces fall into place as she and her daughter mirror each other while she gazes devotedly at her son."

However, when Camilla is at formal engagements with her stepsons Prince William and Prince Harry her body language is quite different. James added, "Often appearing looking ill at ease and tentative with both Charles and his sons, with her royal responsibilities seeming to tailor her non-verbal behavior, Camilla drops some of her inhibitions with her children."

Camilla, William and Harry

(Image credit: Anwar Hussein/Getty Images)

Camilla's relationship with both Prince Harry and William has never been simple - however, sources have said that William is willing to accept Camilla as Queen after huge family rows.

It's understood that the Duke of Cambridge, 39, had 'huge family rows' when Charles started dating the Duchess of Cornwall again - an ordeal that likely exacerbated his suffering in the aftermath of Princess Diana's 1997 death. 

However, it looks like these resentments have healed over time. Prince William and Harry both attended the wedding of Camilla and Charles back in 2005, and have, according to reports, put their rocky past behind them. 

Sarah Finley

Sarah is a freelance journalist - writing about the royals and celebrities for Woman & Home, fitness and beauty for the Evening Standard and how the world of work has changed due to the pandemic for the BBC. 

 

She also covers a variety of other subjects and loves interviewing leaders and innovators in the beauty, travel and wellness worlds for numerous UK and overseas publications. 

 

As a journalist, she has written thousands of profile pieces - interviewing CEOs, real-life case studies and celebrities - interviewing everyone from Emma Bunton to the founder of Headspace.