Judi James, a body language expert, has compared the way that the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Sussex approach royal photographers.
- As members of the Royal Family, the Princess of Wales and Duchess of Sussex are constantly photographed.
- The two reportedly have rather different approaches when it comes to dealing with photographers.
- In other royal news, Why Princess Anne should be 'further up the line of succession'.
Princess Catherine and Duchess Meghan are two members of the Royal Family who are constantly scrutinized and photographed by royal photographers.
At a recent royal engagement, the Princess surprised fans as she recognized a photographer and asked him how he is. In a short clip online the Princess had a brief interaction as she asked, "Morning, How are you?" Arthur Edwards, the photographer who has snapped the family for years responded, "Good thank you, and you?" To which Kate replied, "Good, good to see you."
The Princess of Wales spotted @ArthurJEdwards as Pool photographer today.„Morning, How are you?“ „Good to see you.“🎥 @RoyalFamilyITNP pic.twitter.com/8mKkWAM9fcMay 18, 2023
Judi James has evaluated this interaction and suggested that the Princess almost sees this member of the press as a 'work colleague.'
"Kate greets veteran royal photographer with the warmth you might signal to a work colleague, which in fact is exactly what he is." Judi added that the Princess spoke to him on her level as she spoke to him briefly, "She retains the graceful walk and tone, so makes no apparent shift in her overall demeanor, but she places him on the same level as both herself and the hosts she is greeting."
The expert then compared the Princess' approach to her sister-in-law Meghan Markle. The expert suggested that Meghan has an approach to photographers that is more in line with a celebrity.
"Meghan tends to approach the cameras more like an A-list celebrity. She can look sweet and sometimes quite humble to signal a lack of pretentiousness but she will tend to move at a pace that is all about getting from one place to another while smiling downward and/or being towed along by Harry," said Judi.
"Her smile signals good humor and politeness but, while the royals are often duty-bound to pose up for the photographers, Meghan only tends to adopt a photo-pose when she is on the red carpet these days," she concluded.
The expert then added that both of the royal women had a different approach to Princess Diana who often used the royal photographers to her advantage.
"It is a different look to the way Diana often approached the press (when she wasn’t being mobbed or made to feel uncomfortable). Diana took things further by using the kind of knowing tie-signs that signaled a more fun relationship that included thought-sharing," said Judi.
The expert added that Diana also sometimes saw photographers as her opportunity to appear 'down-to-earth' and accessible to the public.
"Her glances to the cameras at events like this often looked like a small nod to the fact that she would have been happy to stop for a gossip or chat. She would often pull a small face that implied self-effacing humor as though she was sharing an aside or a joke. She always seemed to remember that some of those cameras were her key links with the public in general and therefore something she could communicate via, to look accessible and down-to-earth," said the expert.
