The Prince and Princess of Wales' inclusion in a new royal portrait alongside King Charles is a "survival statement", an expert has said.
At the weekend, a smiling portrait was released showing Charles and Queen Consort Camilla alongside Prince William and his wife Kate. The snap was taken at Buckingham Palace just before Charles and Camilla hosted a Buckingham Palace reception for world leaders on the eve of the Queen’s funeral. In the photo, the four royals can be seen all standing in a row shoulder to shoulder in front of a painting of George IV, who was made Prince of Wales within days of his birth in 1762.
And according to body language expert Judi James, the line-up of the current royals shows an eagerness to convey continuity
She told the Mirror: "As any tribe or dynasty knows a show of unity, continuity and strength is vital once it loses a leader.
"The royals are making exactly the right 'survival' statement here, following the death of the Queen.
"Charles has included his direct heir and wife Catherine in the line-up to signal the continuity, and the fact they are in one line of four, rather than with William and Catherine placed slightly behind Charles, suggests a sense of 'I've got your back' teamwork.
"William's pose with his hands clasped in front of his torso, suggests a dutiful approach to his father, while Catherine places an arm around her husband’s back to signal ongoing support."
Meanwhile, Judi also notes Charles is "forming up under potential attack" in the snap due to his "unusual" gesture to Camilla.
It comes amid rumours and reports that Prince Harry, who sensationally quit as a working royal with wife Meghan Markle in 2020, could be in line to criticise his father Charles and his stepmother Camilla in his upcoming memoir.
She added: "This looks like a forming up under potential attack, particularly from the direction of the US, and Charles’s unusual PDA of placing an arm around Camilla’s back, mirroring her arm round his, could be seen as a message in the same direction, as there have been rumours that Harry could have been critical of Camilla in his new book."
The photo comes as Charles and Camilla carrying out their first royal engagements as King and Queen Consort following the end of the royal mourning period.
They visited Dunfermline in Scotland, where Charles formally marked the conferral of its city status on Dunfermline and made a short speech.
After the ceremony, they visited Dunfermline Abbey to mark its 950th anniversary and met with representatives from Historic Scotland to learn about the history of the local area and the conservation of the site.