Trooping the Colour: Queen Camilla’s ‘tension’ and ‘anxiety’ over her outfit

An expert believes she may have been “masking” her feelings

Queen Camilla may have been “masking” her true feelings as she struggled during Trooping the Colour, a body language expert reckons.

Viewers of Saturday’s (June 14) event celebrating King Charles’ official birthday may have noticed Queen Camilla adjusting her outfit on at least two occasions.

TV cameras picked up Queen Camilla looking tense as she seemed to experience some clothing difficulties. Even commentator Gyles Brandreth couldn’t help but admit the king’s wife was “having some anxiety” over ensuring the garment stayed on.
Was Queen Camilla struggling during Trooping the Colour? (Credit: Splashnews.com)

Queen Camilla ‘struggles’ at Trooping the Colour

However, speaking exclusively to Royal Insider on behalf of Spin Genie, “Human Lie Detector” and body language analyst Darren Stanton believes Queen Camilla handled the matter “in a very restrained and composed way”.

The weekend’s broadcast was only about 15 minutes in when royal family fans may have spied Queen Camilla having some trouble.

As she and King Charles were driven by carriage from Buckingham Palace to make their way down The Mall, it became apparent she didn’t want to let go of her hat. It wasn’t clear whether that may be down to a breeze, or any other reason.

But as her fingers seemed to grip the brim of her headwear, Darren detected unease underneath Queen Camilla’s facial expressions.
Queen Camilla gripped onto her hat during the procession (Credit: Photo by NEIL HALL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

‘The smile didn’t fully engage her face’

He told Royal Insider: “The clearest body language signal came from what we call a masking smile. That’s when someone smiles to conceal inner discomfort, anxiety, or frustration.

“In Camilla’s case, the smile didn’t fully engage her face. We weren’t seeing the natural crow’s feet or genuine warmth that would come with a relaxed, authentic smile. Instead, it was a more surface-level expression. A polite social smile that’s often used to deflect from what someone is actually feeling.”

Darren also feels Queen Camilla’s looks were not focused on the event that was unfolding around her.

There was a definite tension there.

He claimed: “It’s also telling that her eyes were doing a lot of the work – focused inward, not on the crowd or the spectacle.  They were clearly managing the internal dialogue of ‘don’t let this hat slip’. There was a definite tension there, even if subtly expressed.”
Queen Camilla lined up with other royals on the Buckingham Palace balcony, regardless of any hat issues (Credit: Splashnews.com)

Queen Camilla ‘was very mindful’

Nonetheless, Darren still maintains Queen Camilla, even if she was distracted by her hat, pulled it off in front a worldwide audience of millions. Her role, that is – not the hat.

Darren added: “I would agree with Gyles Brandreth’s comment – there were definite signs of anxiety around the hat. But Camilla handled it in a very restrained and composed way, mindful of the occasion and the cameras.

“Removing the hat might have been the logical solution, but in that context, it could have drawn even more attention – something she was clearly trying to avoid.”