On Solo NYC Visit, Prince William Showed a \201cDeeper Confidence\201d—and Proof That He’s a New Type of Royal

Prince William at the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in NYC

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 20 September 2023

Prince William spent Monday and Tuesday in New York City, attending the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit at the Plaza Hotel (where the finalists for the Earthshot Prize Awards were announced), visiting a FDNY firehouse, and even going on a morning run in Central Park. He undertook the visit solo; Princess Catherine stayed behind in the U.K. with their three kids Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

Now 41 and first in line to the throne, the Prince of Wales showed a “deeper confidence” and a more “accessible” and “modern approach” on this trip, body language expert Judi James told The Mirror.

“William is probably the first royal heir to have the skill of natural leadership and power rituals thanks to his height, his build, and his rather military bearing,” she said. “[This] will be a huge advantage to him as he will be able to take a more modern approach by toning down the usual regal power and superior status signals like space, distance, and a more remote, ‘regal’ presence and be more accessible and, like here, bashful without compromising his charisma.”

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William’s more reserved body language has helped communicate that he doesn’t want “to be treated differently” or bring his status into the conversation, James said. “Since he avoids splaying his chest or legs, he’s able to give that more modestly,” The Mirror reports; additionally, he communicated through a smile, which made him look “youthful,” she said, and his eyes showed that he was “excited and happy to be there.”

James said she believes William was “in awe of the U.S. and the people he [was] meeting”—or at least that’s how it appeared. Though his “core brand” is still that of a royal, his mother, Princess Diana, left a mark on her son, making him able to avoid “looking distant or haughty.”

“There is a deeper confidence, though, in the way he keeps the clasp close to his own torso and picks out the camera with his eyes,” James said.

On this visit, William appeared much humbler by avoiding the “alpha” and “dominating” style, she said—and all of these interactions pave the way for what we can expect from William when he is one day king.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.