King Charles wanted to show the public that he’s “approachable” in the latest portrait released last weekend to mark Burn’s Night, a body language expert has claimed.
Last Saturday, Buckingham Palace issued a new photograph of the monarch, in which he could be seen smiling while wearing a beige jacket and waistcoat alongside a tartan kilt and a traditional brown sporran. In the shot, the monarch could be seen resting his right hand on a pile of books.
Charles also sported a colourful tie and handkerchief and a purple flower pinned onto his jacket lapel.
The image was taken last autumn in the library of Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire.
Now a body language expert praised the monarch and said he “looks a fantastic version of himself” as he wanted to convey a particular kind of message with the new image.
Speaking on behalf of Betfair Slots, Darren Stanton said: “Charles looks like a completely different man. In this portrait, we can see his confidence levels have come on leaps and bounds. King Charles has such a fantastic connection, as do all the royals, with Scotland, it’s such a rich part of their history and heritage.
“[He] is looking like a fantastic version of himself. In terms of facial expression and overall levels of confidence and energy, they’re brilliant.”
The body language expert explained how the monarch wants to appear “approachable” and shows “clear compassion” with his eye contact in the smiley portrait.
He explained: “It’s in the eyes. The eyes are windows to the soul. We can see clear compassion from Charles here, with fantastic eye contact.
“He’s conveying the fact he is approachable, which we’ve seen in practice when he’s carried out public walk rounds in recent months.
“In royal portraits, we often see a sense of aloofness, a distance, a very stern look. With Charles, he comes across very human, a much more real expression, particularly in the eyes.”
Elsewhere, Mr Stanton said the King is “very content” and wants to convey this to the public, as he has now “reached the pinnacle of everything he was born to be”.
He claimed: “I think overall, Charles seems very content here. He’s in the latter years of his life, he’s pretty happy. He’s the King, he’s with Camilla, he absolutely loves Scotland, that’s what he wants to convey here with this very genuine smile.
“It’s acceptance and contentment that he’s reached the pinnacle of everything he was born to be, to be King. He seems much more comfortable, no signs of stress or lack of confidence.”
