The Princess of Wales dazzled as she attended a special concert to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day with Prince William, the King and Queen, and one expert spotted the princess make a telling gesture at one of the event’s most crucial moments
The Princess of Wales made a subtle gesture in a blink-and-you-will-miss-it moment at a special VE Day concert on Thursday – and it spoke volumes, according to an expert. Kate joined husband Prince William as well as the King and Queen for the historic event on Horse Guards Parade, which brought a close to the commemorations marking 80 years since the end of the Second World War.
She wore her hair half up, half down, pinned back with a large, black velvet bow and was dressed in a white boucle jacket and Self Portrait dress. Kate, who accessorised with a five-strand pearl necklace, and the rest of the crowd were treated to performances by Freya Ridings, Fleur East, Strictly dancers Amy Dowden, Carlos Gu and Kai Widdrington and actor Brian Cox.
However, the most important part of the concert came when the King delivered an address at 9pm – the exact time King George VI spoke to the nation in a radio broadcast on May 8 1945, to mark the end of the Second World War in Europe.
He called for a global commitment to restoring peace as he paid tribute to the service and sacrifice of the wartime generation. And in a lighter moment, the King joked to the concert-goers that he did not have the energy to “lead you all in a giant conga from here back to Buckingham Palace” as he read an extract from his late mother Queen Elizabeth II’s personal diary.
And according to body language expert Judi James, it was Kate’s reaction at his moment that gave a telling insight into Kate’s royal relationships. She told the Mirror : “Her ‘moment’ came as she watched Charles making his speech.
“When he came to the quotes from the late Queen, Kate’s smile became one of warm reflection, hinting at the warm relationship she had with the late Queen and also at an empathetic relationship of warmth that she might have with Charles himself, whom she was watching. Her cheeks became rounded, and her hands were clasped in front of her torso in a look of warmth as well as some sadness.”
During last night’s appearance at the concert, Kate was also seen exchanging several tender moments with husband William, who put a protective arm on her back. It comes as the Firm has put on a united front for all of the VE Day commemorations in the wake of Prince Harry giving yet another bombshell interview that would have left royal eyes rolling behind palace doors.
After losing a Court of Appeal challenge over his security arrangements while in the UK, Harry gave an emotional interview to the BBC, where he claimed his father the King doesn’t speak to him and said he could not see a world where he would bring his children to visit the UK and declared he felt he had been “stitched up”.
But it seems there was no hint of Harry being on royal minds last night, as Judi added that William and Kate looked very much like the power couple as they delivered a confident and charming display. She explained: “William walked with an elegant puffing of the chest to accommodate the line of medals while Kate adopted a more youthful look to her upswept, immaculate hair and styling during the daytime service.
“With her hair hanging in loose curls topped with a Gen Z-style large floppy bow that was also a nod to the ‘Pollyanna’ fashion trend of Victoriana soon after the War, Kate teamed a Chanel-style jacket with a full, flowing white lace skirt, ticking another very current box in terms of teaming tweeds with layers of lace and pearls.
“The ‘Disney Prince’ look was totally complimentary with Kate’s girlish froth and curls, and William adopted a rather serious, alpha facial expression on arrival to complement his wife’s more romantic styling and smiles.
“His brows pulled into a sadder-looking, concerned frown, and, until Kate made him share a smile, he appeared to be taking quiet moments of more serious reflection.