The eyes of the world have been on the Royal Family as they bid farewell to farewell to the Queen at her state funeral.
And according to a body language expert, the female royals are employed subtle gestures and techniques to keep their emotions in check as the world watched on. The ceremony today began with a procession of senior royals behind the coffin as it was carried to Westminster Abbey – where 2,000 people were in attendance to pay their respects, before a committal service at Windsor Castle. As attendees entered Westminster Abbey, body language expert Sonia Beldom says faces and chins down by the royals “shows humility and respect”.
But when it came to the Princess of Wales and other senior female royals, she explained their body language was "incredibly controlled".
She continued: "By tightening mouths, we can more easily control our facial muscles. All the female royals are composed, with slightly pursed lips – which helps hold back emotion."
Beldom described Camilla's deportment as "beautiful" and said: "Her shoulders are horizontal, neck relaxed, her chin is slightly dipped, which is no surprise in grief, and often portrays a person considering something upsetting."
And for Princess Anne, she added she was "very composed, upright and stoic, whilst showing understandable signs of grief and inward thought."
William and Kate were accompanied by their two eldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
And Beldom said: "Children are usually very open with less guarded nonverbal gestures, however, George and Charlotte are very well behaved.
"Whilst taking in their surroundings, they are not being distracted by them."
Beldom said she could see classic signs of grief in the faces of the male members of the royal party – particularly King Charles, the Prince William and Prince Harry.
She detected this in "furrowing of the brow, and especially when the glabella (the bit between our eyebrows, above the nose) displays sign of tension – increased vertical lines".
When the congregation sang God Save The King, Beldom noted “a slight parting of his [Charles’] lips in a horizontal in-breath”, and explained "it is a sign of grief, which he is controlling brilliantly”.
However, she added: “King Charles and Prince William are incredibly composed. A tiny sign of self-soothing is seen as they rub the top of their swords with their thumbs. This is a mini version of massaging the thumb, which is a pacifying gesture.”
The coffin is now heading to Wellington Arch at the corner of Hyde Park, before being transferred into a hearse for the journey to St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
A televised committal ceremony will take place in the chapel at 4pm followed by a private interment service attended by senior royals.
You can now buy Friday's historic Daily Mirror commemorating the death of the Queen here: mirror.co.uk/commemorative.
