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Robyn Morris

King Charles's 'impatient' gesture to Camilla at Scottish Coronation revealed

King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend the National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication for King Charles III and Queen Camilla, and the presentation of the Honours of Scotland, at St Giles' Cathedral on July 5, 2023 in Edinburgh, Scotland. During the service of thanksgiving and dedication for the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, the Honours of Scotland (the Scottish crown jewels) are presented to the new King. The service is based on a similar service held at St Giles' 70 years ago to mark the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II but unlike the 1953 service, the Stone of Destiny, on which ancient Scottish kings were crowned, will be present in the cathedral.

King Charles's hand gestures towards Queen Camilla during his Scottish Coronation signalled some impatience, according to body language expert Judi James.


Members of the royal family gathered at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh on Wednesday for a special coronation service, where he was presented with the Honours of Scotland.

The service, in which Princess Catherine's royal blue ensemble stole the show, came eight weeks after Charles and Camilla were crowned King and Queen in a lengthy ceremony at Westminster Abbey, where the King made a pledge to "serve."

Now, body language expert Judi James has revealed that while the royals appeared much more relaxed at this service compared to May's ceremony, King Charles did show signs of 'impatience' with his hand gestures.

(Image credit: Photo by Jane Barlow - Pool/Getty Images)

Judi told The Mirror, "This appeared to be a more relaxed ceremony for Charles, who shared the spotlight almost evenly with Camilla, William and Kate, meaning his body language projected less of the ongoing signals of tension and anxiety than at his actual coronation and he wore a warm, beaming smile most of the time."

She added that at one point, the monarch did show some signs of feeling less relaxed, which is when his hand gestures came into play. "He did appear to fuss and fret over Camilla this time, though," Judi explained. 

"And when he did drop the smile and adopt a wary frown with his signature steepled brows, it was when he was turning back in concern to see her get safely in and out of their car or to move to her seat, which was when he also used some of the rapid hand-flicking gestures that tend to signal royal impatience."

However, the body language expert was quick to add that King Charles' impatience was understandable, as Camilla seemed anxious herself. "His concern seemed justified as Camilla did appear nervous," she said.

(Image credit: Photo by Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

"Unlike Kate, she lacked the ability to perform a pose of stillness during the service and her constant patting of her hair or the white plume of her hat were self-checking rituals that hinted at ongoing inner anxiety."

His Majesty received what's known as the 'Hounours of Scotland', which is comprised of a sword made from silver, gold, and precious stones; a scepter; and a crown. However, the crown didn't touch his royal head.

Why? Well, according to BBC host James Naughtie, "He won't wear the crown today, apart from anything else it's too small. It's simply going to be presented to him."

However, the Mirror reports that there's actually a lot more to it than that. According to the Act of Union, Scotland isn't its own independent royal realm so the Mirror reports that it, "would be inappropriate - and inaccurate - for King Charles to be crowned as King in Scotland."

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