10 Times Royal Wedding Body Language Spoke For Itself

These days, royal weddings are exciting events that invoke fairy tales of the past. Elaborate floral arrangements, dashing horses, and jaw-droppingly expensive dresses all contribute to the undeniable allure of these occasions. Adding to the excitement is the fact that royal fans can now tune into royal weddings from the comfort of their homes — transforming them into a spectacle to behold.

But while many fans may see royal weddings as a dream-like form of entertainment, the royal family sees things differently. For princes and princesses, choosing the right match is not just a question of romance but also of the monarchy's survival. As royal expert Peter Conradi explained in his book "Great Survivors," "Traditionally, royal marriages were not about love, lust, or friendship — they were instead about producing heirs and cementing alliances." In that sense, the internal dynamics of a royal wedding can be tense, as different parties view certain matches favorably — or not.

To gain some insight into these tensions, one only needs to take a look at the photographs that eternalize royal weddings. Sometimes, expressions as simple as a raised eyebrow here or a grimace there can indicate what the British elite really think about a couple. From the rank distinctions apparent in Queen Elizabeth II's wedding photos to the controversy in those of Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, these pictures shed light on some of the stormiest royal dramas.

On November 20, 1947, Princess Elizabeth walked down the aisle with Philip, the newly minted Duke of Edinburgh. Even in those first moments of their marriage, the couple — who would one day be known as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip — faced a clear power imbalance. Whereas Elizabeth was poised to become the British monarch, Philip was largely viewed as an unsuitable match. Although he had ties to Greek and Danish royalty, the prince-to-be hailed from a family that was less moneyed than other groups of a similar rank. Philip's tendency toward gaffes also likely did little to win over the hearts of palace courtiers.

For this reason, it is perhaps unsurprising that photographs of Elizabeth and Philip's wedding show the bride standing front and center while the groom stands slightly behind her. Commenting on this in an interview with Express, body language expert Judi James revealed, "[T]he body language of the queen and Philip on their wedding day is so full of glaring status imbalances that it's a testament to their feelings for one another that they've not only survived the 70 years but thrived in terms of togetherness signals." She later continued, "It was clearly seen as the future queen's moment, and she stood ahead of and apart from her husband, ignoring him throughout." The fact that Philip was somewhat pushed aside reflects the way the royals viewed him at the time.

It's not exactly a secret that King Charles III and Princess Diana's marriage did not work out. But less well known is that signs of their incompatibility were already present during their 1981 wedding. While sitting together at the altar, Charles and Diana seemed less than connected. During the ceremony, the future king massaged his brow in a gesture that appeared less than romantic. Diana, for her part, sat slightly slouched with her hands in her lap. Speaking to The Sun, aforementioned body language expert Judi James claimed that Diana's position perhaps communicated "some inner anxieties as she sat next to her rather pompous and solemn-looking husband-to-be."

A decade after the ceremony — in a series of tapes that she recorded for the journalist Andrew Morton — Diana shed some light on the doubts that she was already experiencing about the wedding. Apparently, her biggest preoccupation was about Charles' fascination with the future Queen Camilla. Adding tension to a difficult situation, Camilla decided to attend the Westminster Abbey ceremony — a fact that clearly bothered Diana. "I knew she was in there, of course. I looked for her," Diana told Morton in the tapes (via Good Housekeeping). "So walking down the aisle, I spotted Camilla, pale gray, veiled pillbox hat, saw it all, her son Tom standing on a chair. To this day, you know — vivid memory."

If King Charles III and Princess Diana were ill-matched, the same could not be said about Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh. Whereas Charles and Diana courted each other for five months before saying "I do," Edward and Sophie dated for a whopping six years before their 1999 wedding. Some have claimed that this was Edward's way of avoiding his older brother's mistake of rushing into marriage too quickly. 

However, all the courtship in the world could not have prevented Sophie from feeling nervous on her royal wedding day. Even at the end of the ceremony, she seemed tense as she clutched Edward's hand and exited the church. Interestingly, Edward chose a particularly exuberant way of calming Sophie down. He shot her several cheeky grins — and even a wink — as they walked toward the crowds. 

In an interview with Express, Judi James explained, "We can see Edward throwing reassuring glances at her as she walks out of the ceremony and down the steps and his wink as she walked up the aisle was a slightly cheeky gesture of reassurance and admiration or approval, that looks as though it also doubled as a way of relaxing her nerves," she said. Although this might not have been the most dignified of royal gestures, it was certainly cute. It was a fun way for Edward to show that his passion for Sophie outweighed his commitment to decorum.

Queen Camilla was actually sick on the eve of her 2005 wedding to King Charles III. But that didn't stop her from keeping calm, carrying on, and looking absolutely fantastic when she said "I do." Photos of the big day show the bride gazing lovingly at her new husband. Charles, on his end, looked quite pleased to have finally wed the woman he always wanted to be with. However, he certainly didn't outshine Camilla — whose massive smile shared her happiness with the world.

Interestingly, there might be a reason why Camilla seemed so bright on her big day. According to body language expert Darren Stanton in a conversation with Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Camilla is extremely confident. And this could help her connect with others in a more authentic and expressive way. "She shows genuine emotion with a wide smile that registers on her whole face and causes smile lines in the corners of her eyes," he said. "She's very in charge of her emotions and a very authentic person who isn't afraid to display her feelings in public."

In the same interview, Stanton went on to say that Camilla's confidence might be contagious. According to Stanton, the now-queen has helped Charles develop his self-esteem in the years since their wedding. Apparently, the king has grown less nervous and more assured in public. "Camilla has helped his confidence and happiness grow," Stanton said.

If Prince William and Princess Catherine's love story seems like the stuff of fairy tales, it's because the pair is very well matched. The future king and queen of England have been known to complement each other's personalities — even if that means that they are occasionally out of sync. This was clear during the 2011 wedding. On this special occasion, William seemed nervous, while Catherine appeared more confident than ever. As body language expert Darren Stanton noted in an interview with the Express, "You could see his [William's] heart was racing and he was wringing his hands together, which are both gestures of feeling apprehensive." Catherine, meanwhile, appeared "calm and collected."

William and Catherine may have appeared emotionally mismatched during their nuptials, but that doesn't mean they weren't strong as a couple. If anything, the prince and princess' differing personalities could be an indication of their compatibility. As Stanton explained in the same interview, "She was very similar to the confident Kate that we see now. As the ceremony went on, it's clear that she gave strength to William and built up his confidence. His emotions were initially quite high and he was full of nerves, but he soon relaxed with Kate by his side." In other words, William was able to read Catherine's body language and grow more confident as a result. The reassurance that she offers him could certainly be a key element of their relationship.

If Prince William and Princess Catherine seemed out of sync on their wedding day, the same thing cannot be said about their body language during Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry's nuptials. On the day of the Sussex wedding, William and Catherine seemed to be 100% on the same page. And that page was not necessarily a positive one. Commenting on this in a chat with Reader's Digest, nonverbal communication expert Patti Wood, M.A., noted that both William and Catherine seemed exhausted on Harry and Meghan's big day. Indeed, photos of the event show the couple in what appear to be low spirits. One shot even shows the duo staring despondently toward the ground.

While it might be hard to pinpoint the exact reason for William and Catherine's facial expressions, it is widely known that the lead-up to Harry and Meghan's wedding was tense. In fact, Meghan and Catherine are believed to have argued about Princess Charlotte's bridesmaid's dress. And according to one royal expert, things between them got ugly. In the book, "Yes, Ma'am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants," journalist Tom Quinn quoted a royal staffer who witnessed the drama: "The truth is that during the discussions about the bridesmaid's dress, Meghan said a few things she regretted and Kate said a few things she later regretted, but it was all in the heat of the moment. Both women were crying their eyes out" (via Newsweek).

Prince William and Princess Catherine were not the only ones who seemed a little off during the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex. Queen Elizabeth II also appeared unusually grumpy during the event. Photos from the ceremony show the late monarch sitting right behind Meghan in the pews of St. George's Chapel. In one shot, she stares into the distance looking mildly disapproving. In another, she goes so far as to glare directly at Meghan — hinting at her true thoughts about the match.

Writing about this matter in her book "My Mother and I," royal expert Ingrid Seward revealed that Queen Elizabeth may not have been a huge fan of the Sussex wedding. "The queen never voiced her true opinions except to her close confidants, such as Lady Elizabeth Anson, or Liza as she was known to her friends. She told me that the queen had made only one remark about Meghan and Harry's wedding and that was that Meghan's Givenchy wedding gown was 'too white.'" 

Apparently, this comment was a reference to Meghan's status as a divorcée. There are strict rules royals must follow when they get divorced, including keeping second weddings low key. As Seward wrote, "In the monarch's view, it was not appropriate for a divorcée getting remarried in church to look quite so flamboyantly virginal." She also reportedly found the "Disneyesque" nature of the event unseemly (via Daily Mail).

Because Prince Philip was once viewed as an unsuitable match for Queen Elizabeth II, one might think that he would be open to the Sussexes union. However, at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Philip looked no more amused than his wife did. If anything, he seemed somewhat bewildered by the whole spectacle. Photos of the late prince show him watching the ceremony with a furrowed brow and his head tilted to the side. This body language definitely did not appear to endorse the wedding — and interestingly, there is a reason why.

According to Ingrid Seward's "My Mother and I," Queen Elizabeth originally enjoyed Meghan Markle's company, while Philip did not. "One of the few wary of succumbing to her charm offensive, however, was Prince Philip. While the queen continued to champion Harry's new love, he warned his wife to be cautious. It was uncanny, he told her, how much Meghan reminded him of the Duchess of Windsor," Seward wrote (via The Telegraph). 

Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, was an American divorcée — just like Meghan. And her marriage to King Edward VIII resulted in a constitutional crisis that weakened the monarchy in its day. It's hard to say whether Philip suspected that Harry and Meghan would one day break away from the royal family in the same way that Wallis and Edward once did. However, the similarities between Markle and Simpson nonetheless fostered his distrust.

Marrying into the British royal family can be a grueling task, and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh knows it. After falling in love with Prince Edward in the 1990s, Sophie suffered tremendously. During her tenure as the Countess of Wessex, Sophie was surrounded by scandal. She was stalked by the paparazzi, mocked by the papers, and even forced to step away from her career as a public relations guru. Despite all these challenges, however, she remains the only woman of her generation who married into the British royal family and did not seek a divorce.

Because of this, rumor has it that the royal family asked Sophie to help Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, integrate into the royal family. As royal expert Gyles Brandreth claimed in his book "Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait" (via The Mirror US), "To help Meghan, the Queen suggested that her daughter-in-law, Sophie Wessex, would be an ideal mentor. 'Sophie can help show you the ropes,' said the queen. Meghan made it clear that she did not feel she needed Sophie's help. She had Harry."

Perhaps due to this alleged snub, Sophie — then the Countess of Wessex — seemed somber during Meghan's wedding to Prince Harry. As body language expert Judi James told the Express, "[I]t is Camilla and Sophie who look a little dour, with the normally sparking Sophie sitting hunched and grim-faced in the pew behind Camilla."

If several members of the British royal family seemed sour at the Sussex wedding, the same cannot be said about the Sussexes themselves. In fact, both Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, looked fantastic during the ceremony — an impressive feat considering all the things that went wrong during the wedding. As the couple walked down the aisle, they looked comfortable and confident. Following the ceremony, as Harry and Meghan greeted fans from inside a traditional old carriage, they seemed absolutely elated.

According to body language expert Darren Stanton in an interview with Pure Wow, both parties seemed very pleased to be making their love official. "Meghan Markle appeared calm and composed, showing no visible signs of apprehension. She smiled and waved to the crowd and walked with a steady presence," he said. Harry, meanwhile, seemed to wear his heart on his sleeve. As Stanton explained, "You can see Harry's entire body visibly relax the moment he sees Meghan walking down the aisle. The emotional shift in his posture is immediate as his shoulders drop, his face softens, and his eyes light up with genuine love and affection." The Duke and Duchess of Sussex clearly were not going to allow anybody else's bad energy to rain on their parade — and their body language showed that they truly felt happy together.