Princess Kate is endlessly professional on official royal appearances.
The Princess of Wales always seems able to put whatever happened in her life on that day behind and show genuine interest in the people she meets and interacts with.
But according to one body language expert, there was just one occasion a handful of years ago when the then-Duchess of Cambridge wasn't able to maintain a neutral expression, and appeared to betray quite a bit of anger and frustration—possibly directed at her husband Prince William, who was there with her.
"When we see a photo of a royal looking angry or stressed it can often be a body language 'flash,' i.e. a very fleeting facial expression that has been taken out of context," Judi James told Express.
"When we see the whole footage the message can be completely different, especially if it’s a royal like Kate, who is normally known for her pitch-perfect social smiles that she can keep in place without looking strained or inauthentic for long periods of time."
James contrasted Princess Kate's poker face with her predecessor Princess Diana, who often showed her emotions on her face in public. Kate, as for her, is "an accomplished masker," according to the expert.
"Except for this occasion back in 2017 on William and Kate’s visit to Warsaw. Kate’s unsmiling facial expression looked shocking and it wasn’t just a 'flash,'" James claimed.
Indeed, in Warsaw in July 2017, on the occasion of the Queen's Birthday Garden Party at the Orangery, Kate was seen looking very unhappy throughout the day, with William appearing to try to diffuse the tension.
"There are several photos of the occasion that show her looking unhappy or even throwing William some pointed looks while he tried to remain neutral, with a faint, polite, closed lip smile of what looked like regret or awkwardness," James said.
"Kate’s eyes looked tired, with dark smudges underneath them and at one point she appeared to be looking down while biting the inside of her mouth as though holding back her emotions."
James noted that at the time, observant royal fans had concluded that Kate looked "furious with her husband."
Thankfully, at other times during that Polish visit—and even on the same day—Kate appeared to be having a wonderful time, and was pictured laughing heartily with her husband. Whatever had happened, it seemed to be thankfully short-lived.
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