Prince William is a ‘completely different person’ and used to ‘fake’ his smile

As Prince William prepares to turn 41, a body language and behaviour expert has said that the Prince of Wales "tends to carry his own confidence within him now".

Speaking on behalf of Betfair Casino, body language and behavioural expert Darren Stanton has analysed Prince William over recent years, particularly since inheriting his new role as Prince of Wales.

“Right now, I think William is at the pinnacle of his strength, in terms of his non-verbal communication. He’s become ever-so more statesman-like in recent years," Darren commented.

"We don’t see any of the old gestures from him that he previously displayed, which denoted a lack of confidence or feeling like a fish out of water. He's a completely different person from when he first started public appearances as a youngster."

Darren continued, saying that, like William's father, King Charles, he has what are known as "pacifying gestures" which are used as a form of self-reassurance and comfort.

"We got these a lot with King Charles where he would put his hand inside his jacket. If you look at historic footage from Prince William and indeed Prince Harry, you will see that William inherited this gesture from his father," Darren said.

"William often made this gesture whilst doing any public engagements or standing on the balcony with the Queen."

Darren continued: “William would also play with his cufflinks during his early years. Again, this is a self-reassuring gesture, designed to soothe ourselves when we’re in situations that we’re finding stressful or when we feel that we’re not in total control.

"Over the years he’s been placed in lots of social situations where anybody would probably feel a little bit anxious, however, we tend not see that gesture as of much now.”

One of William's other mannerisms noted by Darren was a "fake smile", which he says people don't just use when feeling happy, but other emotions too. Darren commented that it's a trait that father and son share, and that they used it as a "mask".

"With Prince William, or with people generally, the most faked emotion is a smile, because we smile not just when we’re genuinely happy, but we also smile when we’re anxious, when we’re not feeling great – it becomes a mask.

"The way we denote a fake smile is by something called ‘crows feet’ at the side of the eyes. We used to see a lot of this with King Charles and also William."

One aspect of William's life that Darren believes has helped his "development as a person" is William's wife, Kate Middleton.

"He has developed a great deal of genuine confidence, whether he's attending a movie premiere or some other social occasion, he tends to carry his own confidence within him now," Darren commented.

“She too has developed greatly over the years, even more so than William. She started off quite introverted, not really wanting to get involved, and now she's become a more and more integral part of the royal family…

"These two are now considered to be the most senior members of the working royal family. I definitely believe Kate’s development of confidence has also helped William to feel more at ease.”

Darren ended their observations by saying: “I think Prince William appears extremely authentic and genuine as he approaches his next birthday. I think it’s going to be interesting to continue to see how he further develops as he moves towards the throne.”

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