Princess Kate was accused of a “mask slip moment” by a critic in a post that went viral on X, formerly Twitter—though a professional body language expert gave Newsweek a different perspective.
The Princess of Wales joined Prince William for private meetings with the families of three girls who were killed in stabbings at a Taylor Swift-themed event in Southport, northern England, in July.
With the media present, Kate met the emergency responders who were on the scene that day and praised them as “heroes.”
Princess Kate laughs as she speaks with members of the emergency services at Southport Community Centre, in northern England, on October 10, 2024. She was accused of a “mask slip moment” by a critic in a viral post.
Danny Lawson – WPA Pool/Getty Images
Cameras recorded her leaving the event, and one critic’s reaction went viral on X, after he suggested Kate’s body language may have revealed more than she intended.
The clip was viewed more than 272,000 times and liked over 1,800 times after it was posted with the message: “Did anyone else catch Kate Middleton‘s mask slip moment? Was that a Kanye-level smile? You decide! P.S. I’m gonna play their game for a moment and became a ‘body-language’ expert.”
The comment about playing “their game” is likely a reference to the experts who are frequently quoted in the U.K. press giving takes on Meghan Markle‘s public interactions. The poster regularly writes positive comments about Meghan and Prince Harry.
Professional body language expert Judi James told Newsweek: “It is a simple fact that nearly all smiles are lies anyway. Humans tend to smile primarily as a polite social response.
“We often smile the widest when we see someone we dislike or when we are masking upset or anxiety,” James said.
“Kate’s social smiling is even more demanding, though, and any changes of ‘faces’ can be a requirement of the job,” she continued. “On a gig like this, she is meeting different people in a smallish space and needs to offer different, appropriate body-language responses. She is also returning after cancer treatment, and it would be natural for her to feel some inner anxiety.
“Here, she would have walked past cheering fans one moment, and a happy smile would be appropriate, but she was actually then meeting with bereaved parents, meaning a change of facial expression would be necessary,” James said.
“It’s a professional form of appropriate masking that is totally necessary in her royal role, a little like a doctor doing their rounds and responding appropriately to each patient,” she added.
Kate had major abdominal surgery in January before being diagnosed with cancer and beginning a course of chemotherapy in late February, which she announced in September had been concluded.
Kate has been returning to work gradually, attending Trooping the Colour, King Charles III‘s birthday parade, in June and the men’s singles final of the Wimbledon tennis championships in July, both in London.
The Southport visit marked Kate’s return to the kind of royal job she once conducted week in, week out, and her attendance was confirmed only at the last minute.
During the event, Kate gave an update on how the families of the Southport stabbings had been coping, saying: “I can’t underestimate how grateful they all are for the support you provided on the day. On behalf of them, thank you.”
Prince Harry’s demeanor was similarly solemn during a speech about children who he said had lost their lives through social media during the Clinton Global Initiative conference in New York in September.
Jack Royston is Newsweek’s chief royal correspondent based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek’s The Royals Facebook page.
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