Queen Camilla ‘overcome with sheer emotion’ after crying at VJ Day service with King Charles

The king and queen attended a service on Friday

Queen Camilla was left crying at the recent VJ Day service as a veteran made a touching gesture to King Charles during a speech.

Last Friday (August 15), the king, 76, and queen, 78, attended a service at the National Arboretum in Staffordshire to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day (Victory over Japan Day). On August 15 in 1945, Japan surrendered during World War Two. In effect, it brought the conflict to an end.

At the service, Camilla wiped away tears as veteran Captain Yavar Abbas took the opportunity to praise the “brave” king amid his ongoing cancer treatment.

Now, a body language expert has weighed in on Camilla’s emotional appearance. He said she showed “strong signals of pride” for her husband.

 
Queen Camilla wiped away tears during the VJ Day service (Credit: Photo by Paul Edwards/WPA Pool/Shutterstock)
 

Yavar Abbas’ emotional comments to King Charles at VJ Day service

During Friday’s service, 104-year-old Yavar, who served in the 11th Sikh regiment of the British Indian Army, went “off script” to praise the king for his attendance.

Taking a moment to pause from reading his war diaries, Mr Abbas said: “Before reading the excerpt, I make an apology for briefly going off the script to salute my brave king, who is here with his beloved queen in spite of the fact he’s under treatment for cancer.”

The cameras panned to Charles and Camilla, who both looked emotional. Camilla wiped away tears.

 
Yavar Abbas saluted King Charles during the VJ Day service (Credit: BBC iPlayer)
 

Queen Camilla crying at VJ Day service was ‘incredibly moving’ moment

Body language expert Darren Stanton has discussed the moment. He said Camilla was “clearly overcome by the sheer emotional of the event”.

Darren told Royal Insider: “I think it was twofold really. On one hand, she was clearly overcome by the sheer emotion of the event itself, it was an incredibly moving moment to witness. Especially as that particular soldier had just shown such respect to the king.

“On the other hand, there were also strong signals of pride. In a few other clips, you can see the way she looks at the king with real affection and admiration, which adds another layer of emotion to what we were observing.”

Darren branded Camilla’s expressions “telling”. He continued: “There was a softness in her face, her eyes filled with emotion, and her gaze lingered on the king for extended moments, long, warm looks that spoke volumes without a word being said.

“These non-verbal cues reflect both deep personal pride and an emotional response to the significance of the occasion.”

 
The queen showed signs of “pride” for her husband (Credit: Photo by Paul Edwards/WPA Pool/Shutterstock)
 

Camilla’s ‘pride’ for Charles

Darren also discussed the royal family as a whole. He said the “perception” is that they are “reserved or bound by the ‘stiff upper lip’”.

You can see the way she looks at the king with real affection and admiration.

He added: “Both [Camilla] and the king are actually more emotionally expressive than people might assume. While the late Queen and Prince Philip were highly skilled at suppressing such displays, here we see the opposite. Gestures and expressions that reveal an authentic, heartfelt reaction.

“It’s that combination of being moved by the occasion and pride in the king that really came through in her body language.”