Princess Anne’s ‘frosty’ body language suggests she tried to ‘push Camilla out’

Camilla left ‘intimidated’ by Princess Anne says royal expert

Princess Anne is a senior royal and a hard-working member of the Royal Family. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, joined the Royal Family after marrying Prince Charles, 72, in 2005.

Both women have important roles within the Firm and are happy to step out for royal engagements.

In the past, and before coronavirus restrictions were in place, Camilla and Princess Anne would often be spotted speaking together at events.

They appear to have a close relationship which has developed in the years Camilla has been in the Royal Family.

Body language expert Judi James spoke to Express.co.uk to share her verdict on the transformation of their relationship.

We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

Pictures of the women shortly after Camilla joined the family could show reservations from her in-laws, the expert claimed.

At the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla, Judi suggested some royals took a step back.

She stated: “At the poses after their wedding the Queen and Philip stood back and away from the couple on the steps, which prevented any happy family photographs being taken and it looks very much as though Anne is equally unwilling to look anything more than frosty here, too.”

This behaviour seemed to continue and in one picture taken in June 2005 – two months after Camilla joined the family – the expert explained Princess Anne looks like she wanted to create a “barrier” from Camilla.

“There seems to be a sense of exclusion here as Anne stands closer to her brother to apparently push Camilla out of the small group here, even raising her arm so that her elbow forms a barrier gesture,” Judi explained.

“Both Charles and Anne look grim-faced here, rather than sociable.”

Even before Camilla and Prince Charles began their romance, Princess Anne and Camilla had something in common.

Princess Anne briefly dated Andrew Parker Bowles who, years later, dated and married Camilla. The pair were married from 1973 to 1995.

However, the body language expert suggested this is unlikely to have played a part in how Princess Anne acted with Camilla when they were seen out together in 2006. 

Judi continued: “While Camilla walks ahead, smiling nervously but stoically at the cameras, Anne strides behind her with seemingly no attempt to catch up.

“It wasn’t just the wedding to Charles that might have caused the look of a rift between the two women. In this tangled narrative of historic relationships, Anne was known to have dated Camilla’s ex-husband. In many ways that barely fits the body language story at this time, though.

“History like that would normally create a sense of embarrassment or discomfort from someone in Anne’s position but here she looks as though she might be ignoring or cutting Camilla rather than avoiding her, suggesting she is taking the same slow-thaw route to her sister-in-law as her mother.”

Although Princess Anne may have kept a distance from Camilla shortly after her wedding, Judi claimed they now appear to have a close friendship. 

She explained they showed signs of bonding as early as 2007, two years after Camilla’s wedding, which may have been helped by them discovering what they had in common.

Judi added: “A year later Camilla’s popularity with the public was rising and she was proving her worth as a member of The Firm via some tours abroad with Charles.

“Sitting in the carriage with Anne, Camilla wears a reasonably relaxed-looking smile but it’s the pose of the two women laughing together in the line-up that really seems to signal not just a thawing of the frost between them but a growing sense of close friendship between two women who have so much in common. 

“This pose isn’t about social smiling, it shows two friends sharing a joke, with both appearing delighted with one another’s company.”

Source: Read Full Article