Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, has been Prince William and Prince Harry's stepmother for nearly 16 years but a body language expert said that there was a lot of tension in her relationship with the sons of Prince Charles early on.
Blanca Cobb analyzed an old and rarely seen wedding photo of Charles and Camilla with their children. William and Harry stood with the newlyweds, as well as Tom and Laura Parker Bowles, Camilla's grownup children from her first marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles.
The body language expert said that Harry could not look straight to the camera, suggesting that he might have been uneasy about the royal wedding or something else distracted Charles' second son during the picture taking. He also had a "posed smile" that seemed to imply he was bracing himself and he stood with his feet so wide apart as if to prepare for a stormy onslaught.
On the other hand, William looked anxious and nervous in the wedding photo and had on a "plastered" smile. It appeared the Charles' heir had his fingers curled, indicating his actual feelings for the event.
Cobb further analyzed that Camilla's daughter, Laura, seemed to show acceptance for the marriage between her mother and new royal stepfather. Tom's body language also showed support for the newlyweds.
It's no secret that Charles and Camilla's relationship happened while the Prince of Wales was still married to Princess Diana, William and Harry's mother. After her unfortunate death in 1997, Charles and Camilla didn't flaunt their relationship knowing the furor it would create as Diana was the People's Princess.
According to sources, William met Camilla in person one year after Diana's death and it wasn't a pleasant one. Royal biographer Penny Junor said that Charles set it up and left Camilla and William to talk to each other because he felt it was time for his eldest son to get to know the love of his life.
Apparently, after that short first meeting, Camilla asked for a gin and tonic from the staff. Sources said that William and Camilla's relationship didn't warm up until Kate Middleton came into the picture. It was Camilla who helped Kate transition into the royal life.
However, as time has been a great healer, the bad blood between Camilla and Diana's boys seemed to have dissipated. In 2018, Harry reportedly said in his biography that the Duchess of Cornwall has made their father very happy. The Duke of Sussex also belied reports that Camilla was never close to them and she was not their "wicked stepmother" but someone he and his brother "love to bits."
