Princess Kate is a regular fixture in the royal box at Wimbledon but yesterday opted to sit in the outer courts—in the rain, no less. The Daily Express reports that the Princess of Wales appeared “happy to rough it in the rain” and is “keen to show herself as a regular person” through this “humble” gesture.
Though she “lapped up the atmosphere” and was trying to blend in with the crowd, her bold outfit choice at the tennis tournament made that pretty much impossible: “Kate’s outfit was a slight change from her usual outfit choices,” said body language expert Darren Stanton, speaking on behalf of Betfair Bingo. “I think she’s paying some sort of homage to the fact she’s at Wimbledon, as she wore white and green. The pistachio jacket is a slight switch for her. We often see Kate in bolder colors when she wants to make a statement. However, it’s clear she wants to blend in with the crowd at the event, as she took on a more unstated look. Otherwise, she would have worn her usual colors of red or blue, which could have been too striking for the occasion.”
Kate, as she so often does when attending Wimbledon, looked happy to be there. “In terms of body language and facial gestures, Kate displayed genuine joy, which is apparent as her whole face is engaged,” Stanton said. “It’s fairly obvious when somebody is uncomfortable in a situation, as their face isn’t engaged. In every shot I’ve seen of Kate, she appears to be lapping up the atmosphere and clearly loves being at Wimbledon.”
Stanton said Kate’s body language mirrored that of her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, whose style she also channeled through yesterday’s look. “Kate always displays good eye contact with the people that she’s meeting,” he said. “What comes over from the photos of her today is that she has a great sense of fun, happiness, and humor. There’s one particular shot, where she is pulling a face jokingly, which shows she is keen to display a sense of normality in her gestures. She doesn’t want to be seen as far removed from normal people and society. While she acknowledges that she is a senior member of the royal family, Kate isn’t averse to being seen as having a laugh and a joke.”
Overall, Stanton said, “Kate’s body language is always genuinely open, with plenty of open palm gestures. When Kate walks, she is obviously very graceful and poised, but her posture, shoulder placement, and pace also signifies massive confidence. Someone who isn’t as confident would likely be walking at a slower pace and looking around for others to take the lead. However, Kate couldn’t be more opposite. She is very independent and clearly isn’t afraid to take on any engagement without her husband Prince William. She is very confident now—more so than ever. She has got that inner source of force field that Princess Diana once had.”
Kate “was quite happy to rough it and muck in with the other guests,” Stanton said. “Again, this proves that she is keen to show herself as a regular person, despite her royal status. There is a complete humbleness and humility to Kate that we don’t often see in some members of the royal family. Overall, Kate appeared super confident as she attended Wimbledon today. What you find with Kate is that she tends to enjoy putting people at ease. While she did display high levels of self-assurance, she also wanted to blend in with the regular tennis goers, whilst showing genuine emotions of joy and happiness.”
