In a video released on her Instagram account on Monday, September 9, the Princess of Wales is filmed in an intimate manner, and the royal couple exchange multiple gestures of affection. Body language specialist Stephen Bunard analyzed them.
They have rarely revealed themselves to this extent. In a video published on the Wales Instagram account on Monday, September 9, Kate Middleton, who revealed that she had completed her chemotherapy, and Prince William, exchange rare gestures of affection, abandoning their usual reserve. A sequence in which the Princess of Wales notably rests her head on the shoulder of her husband, who holds her hand. At another moment, Prince William even places a kiss on his wife’s cheek, or puts his arm around her hip.
An affection that they also show to their children. We see Kate Middleton helping Prince Louis on the swing, kissing her daughter Charlotte, hugging Prince George or having a family picnic. At other times, the princess walks alone among the trees, her face bathed in light, or lets a butterfly fly away from her hand. She also walks through a field, brushing the ears of wheat with her hand. Suspended moments that suggest a semblance of harmony found again. And would be, according to Stephen Bunard, speaker, body language expert and author of Your actions say out loud what you think quietly. (1), imbued with a certain naturalness.
Also read‘Just loving and being loved’: Kate Middleton’s full message announcing the end of her chemotherapy
A “modern-day tale”
Madame Figaro – In the video of Wales, the family is moving through the forest. Why did you choose such a setting?
Stephen Bunard – To announce that Kate Middleton had finished her treatment, Wales had two options. Either make a video on camera, to thank their subscribers for their support. Or shoot a sequence like this one, in the spirit of a Netflix series teaser. Watching these images, we feel like we are looking at a family album. It gives us the feeling that they are very close to us.
Kate Middleton knows she’s a symbol, but there’s a certain sincerity in the way she presents herself.
Stephen Bunard
Why do you think they chose such an intimate sequence?
With this video, we go from one extreme to the other. In the past, the Queen of England, whose communication was secret, was on a pedestal. We realize today that, to be of one’s time, one can remain just as secret, but one must unfold one’s own storytelling. We can no longer say “no comment“So we’re going to write a script, sell a dream and a princess story. In these stories, the heroine always encounters a big problem. The modern-day tale is that the princess is sick. It can happen to anyone, whether you’re powerful or miserable. Kate Middleton knows she’s a symbol. But there’s a certain sincerity in the way she puts herself on stage. In her message, she uses simple words. We even end up forgetting that she’s a princess.
How should we interpret the very contemplative images of Kate Middleton, filmed alone in the forest or in a field, her face bathed in light?
Communicators may want to convey that there is something a little fragile about her, something evanescent, inspiring and inspired. You have to be in these reassuring codes, which will speak. In this way, you create mental images that have an echo in people’s heads.
“The state of grace is over”
In one part of the sequence, the princess appears leaning against a tree, her face bathed in light. What is the symbolic significance of this moment?
Here, Kate Middleton takes up the codes of influencers who are in a holistic approach. These are codes of modernity, which come from both the Netflix series and the content creators on Instagram. They also echo in a transgenerational way, since the older ones detect elements of Little House on the Prairieand those who have children will find the story of the princess and her happy end. If Wales has nothing to sell, they have understood how much it is necessary to get out of the absence of communication, or of secret communication.
Wales has a fairly strong and transgenerational identification potential.
Stephen Bunard
For what reason?
Before, the Queen was doing personal branding. She was, by her longevity, the intensity of her presence, her personal history, her extravagant and bright outfits, a real character. This untouchable character inspired respect, a certain authority, and sympathy. Now, we are moving into another dimension. The state of grace is over. Wales has understood that, if there is a future for the monarchy, it is they who will embody it. And if we miss this boat, we do not know where it could go. So they prefer to be the artisans of their staging, than to take yet another blow to what they represent.
Are the images of Kate Middleton driving her car intended to make her more accessible, to demonstrate that she is also a “normal” person?
Yes, and at the same time, it is normality that we want to see. It is transparency that we want to show. If it is a form of resilience for her individually, so much the better. But we are not fooled. We must distinguish the part of sincerity that they have from the underlying mechanism of the wonderful little family, with all the perfect codes of our time. I nevertheless find this video powerful, because the Wales have a fairly strong and transgenerational identification potential.
A couple in love
In this video, Kate Middleton and Prince William come out of their usual reserve. They appear hand in hand, head against shoulder and arms around the waist. How should we interpret the fact of revealing these gestures of tenderness, which they rarely allow themselves in public?
The tenderness that Kate Middleton shows towards Prince William is sincere. They are a couple who are truly in love. Her husband, himself, often appears on her left. He puts his hand on the waist of the princess, on her right, so he is in a position of dominance, of support. Sometimes, it is she who is placed on his left. This shows that she is the one who carries the couple, the family, and that she has regained her strength. With this video, we have tears in our eyes, we have the impression that we are diving into their intimacy. They want to tell us that it is not only Meghan and Harry who can touch each other, hold hands, and play American lovers. British comedy still has some spring in its step.
(1) Your actions say out loud what you think quietly.by Stephen Bunard, published on March 8, 2018, Éd. SoBook, 270 p., €20
For more information:
https://www.stephenbunard.com/