Reflecting on the monumental wedding day of Prince William and Princess Kate on April 29, 2011, a body language expert has revealed how the couple really felt as they tied the knot at Westminster Abbey, and how Prince William was “really nervous” as he stood at the altar waiting for his bride-to-be.
The royal wedding capitated the world and millions of viewers watched at least some part of the coverage on the day. At around 10.15am Prince William and his best man, Prince Harry, arrived at the Abbey and were escorted inside to wait in St Edmund’s Chapel for the start of the ceremony.
Body language expert, Darren Stanton, revealed: “When William arrived at Westminster Abbey, you could sense he was really nervous as he was wringing his hands together. It’s quite a natural response for a wedding day, with most people feeling nervous or anxious.”
He added: “You could see his heart was racing and he was wringing his hands together, which are both gestures of feeling apprehensive.”
The body language expert on behalf of Betfair Slingo, further added how William “flashed signals of fear” including “biting his lip” which is known for being a reassurance gesture.
He describes how Princess Kate was “calm and collected” which ultimately gave her husband-to-be confidence.
Darren points out: “She was very similar to the confident Kate that we see now. As the ceremony went on, it’s clear that she gave strength to William and built up his confidence. His emotions were initially quite high and he was full of nerves, but he soon relaxed with Kate by his side.”
After the ceremony, the newlywed couple appeared on the famous Buckingham Palace balcony with other members of the Royal Family to greet the public, and the two exchanged a kiss to roars of approval from the crowd, as the RAP flypast swept past the palace.
Darren explains this was the moment “William allowed himself to get go”. He added: “He had a beaming smile of happiness and joy, which was genuine as we saw the whole face engaged. Even though William has developed a great deal of self assurance over the years, he’s always looked to Kate for support. She is his rock and she is always someone who he can rely on to help boost his confidence levels”.
All the signs of a strong rapport were noted between the couple on their very special day, claims the body language guru, including “eye contact, reciprocal liking, and matching and mirroring”.
Darren added: “Even though William came across as nervous, that was overridden by his genuine joy and happiness. Their true love has been there from the outset and it’s clear that they have had that deep rapport, trust and love right from the get-go.”
After stepping outside at the Great West Door of Westminster Abbey, Prince William and Princess Kate joined a carriage procession of magnificent pomp and splendour and headed back to Buckingham Palace following the ceremony, ready to watch the traditional flypast.
The Duke and Duchess’ wedding has gone down in history as one of the most magnificent events in modern royal history, with he couple getting married in front of a congregation of 1,900 and a television audience of 27 million.
The special day was made a bank holiday in the UK, giving Brits the chance to watch and join in the royal celebrations.
