Prince William felt "exposed" and "struggled to feel secure" during his appearance on The Graham Norton Show, according to body language expert Inbaal Honigman. The future monarch appeared in good spirits as he discussed his Earthshot Prize on the BBC talk show, but his physical cues suggested otherwise.
Protective Body Language on the Sofa
William joined A-listers Cate Blanchett, Robert Irwin and Hannah Waddingham on the show, which was recorded on Thursday October 22. Honigman, analysing his body language exclusively for Express.co.uk, noted that the 44-year-old prince was on edge.
"On Norton's sofa, [William] is on edge. His legs are crossed, which is a protective cue," she said. "Not only are they crossed, but they're crossed at the knee, which keeps his whole body smaller and narrower. William is such a tall person, so it is interesting to watch him try to take up less space, try to shrink his form."
Signs of Vulnerability and Restraint
The expert observed that William's hands met in front of his body, completing a protective shield. She also noted he kept picking at his fingers as a self-soothing motion and fidgeted with his tie and jacket lapels.
"Perhaps feeling vulnerable, he appears to struggle with having all eyes on him," Honigman pondered. "The clamped-teeth smile is a bit like a 'primate smile', which is seen when primates are afraid. His protective physical stance and fearful or frustrated facial expression indicates that the future King feels quite exposed on the sofa, and struggles to feel secure."
The appearance came just two days after William's brother Harry's GQ interview, in which he appeared to blame William for the ongoing feud between them. Honigman suggested there may have been topics William was "keen to avoid".
William on Switching Off
During the chat, William was asked how he switches off from his role as Prince of Wales. He replied: "It is music and film. I love getting immersed in deep-thinking films. I like action films too, but I like something a bit different. I'm a big fan of everything Christopher Nolan does. His films are fantastic – The Dark Knight series is psychologically dark and deep, and I absolutely love that. He takes concepts that are completely out there and makes them incredibly entertaining."
