Princess Diana seemed shy in the beginning, but she became a strong woman who used her voice to empower millions. Her body language reveals the journey.
Princess Diana's actions, her style, her words, and her relationships have been scrutinized over the years, but those are just guesses on what went on in her heart and head. However, people can rarely fake their body language, and she isn't an exception. She may have seemed bold and feisty through her actions, but her body language revealed her vulnerability and loneliness at times. After all, she was a real woman and a free spirit although her crown weighed her down.
Body-language experts have revealed what the Princess of Wales truly felt at moments, even when she tried to show a brave front. Here are seven photos of the princess and what they said about her inner world.
Before Diana married Prince Charles, she became part of his inner circle as his girlfriend. That meant socializing with Camilla Parker-Bowles, which could not have been easy. "Although others in the photo don’t seem to be cold Diana has her hands shoved deeply into her pockets, her shoulders hunched," body-language expert Patti Wood, author of Snap: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language & Charisma, told Reader's Digest. She said that her defensive posture might have been because of Camilla’s more aggressive body language. She has her elbow up and pointed at Diana.
The famous engagement interview of the couple set the tone for the relationship. Prince Charles's famous lines that showed he wasn't entirely in love with Diana would have been devastating for her. "Some of the clips appear to show a contrast between Charles and Diana. Charles looks assured while Diana often looks sadder when she is listening – her lips and mouth are held together, here eyebrows lifted and her cheeks pushed forward with watery eyes," Robin Kermode, a body-language expert, told Express.
Kermode added that Charles kept looking at her during the interview to gauge her reaction, especially when he made his infamous "Whatever in love means" comment. That nervous laugh says much.
Despite a rocky beginning, Diana looked genuinely happy on her honeymoon. She had a genuine smile on her lips while she has her shoulders flirtatiously lifted, Wood told Reader's Digest. It shows that they were really trying to be a happy couple when they started their relationship.
Diana was a young woman and barely married when she became pregnant with their first child. Here, she has a protective hand around her belly while she looks eight to nine months pregnant. Prince Charles also keeps his hand on her shoulder showing support and affection through one small gesture since British culture isn't great about the open display of affection. The newly married couple had still been hopeful about a future together and about growing their family.
She was in her early twenties when she gave birth to Prince William, and the new mom immediately took on the role head-on. Her young age, fame, and title did not deter her from being a great mom. She had experience with young kids as a teacher and nanny. She found her maternal instincts early in life, and her real smile in this photo shows it. She took joy in having her kids with her during tours as well.
By 1992, there was no coming back for Charles and Diana's marriage. Even the Queen acknowledged that it had been the worst year in her life. "1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure," said Queen Elizabeth II in a speech she gave on November 24, 1992. That year, Andrew Morton’s Diana: Her True Story was published, and it opened a can of worms. Princess Diana had given her friends and family her approval to speak to the author, and later it was revealed that she was the main source.
With the book, Diana's bad marriage became public, and this photo shows the pain she might have been in. Wood commented on the image taken in Egypt. "If we didn’t know any better, we might think she was attending a funeral."
The princess shocked everyone when she went public and gave the BBC an explosive interview that revealed her personal problems to the world. Body-language expert Judi James told Express, "With her high, girlish vocal tone and those huge doe eyes looking close to tears (a look partly created by the use of white liner on the inner rim of her lower lids, which was a fashion trend of the time) her appearance can look deceptively vulnerable. A proper examination of her body language and words suggest a much stronger, determined, and apparently honest woman driven less by self-pity and vulnerability and more by a sometimes angry determination to set the record right. Her overall delivery is intelligent, thoughtful, and controlled."
References:
https://www.rd.com/list/times-princess-dianas-body-language-told-the-real-story/
https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/838701/princess-diana-prince-charles-engagement-interview
