Queen Elizabeth was ‘at her happiest when surrounded by her great-grandchildren’ claims body language expert

The youngsters of the Royal Family had a 'very loving great-granny'

Queen Elizabeth II
(Image credit: Getty Images)

A body language expert has shared how Queen Elizabeth's behaviour around her great-grandchildren showed that she was always ‘at her happiest when surrounded by' the Royal Family's youngest members.


Queen Elizabeth II was more than the monarch; she was also a mother, a job she believed to be the only one that matters, a grandmother to eight grandchildren, and a great-grandmother to 12 royal youngsters who all sit in the royal line of succession

Spending time together for a family of that huge size could be stressful and it would be more than understandable for them to struggle finding things to do that keep them all entertained and happy. But, according to one body language expert, it was when she was surrounded by all of her great-grandchildren that Queen Elizabeth was 'at her happiest.'

Speaking to The Express, body language expert Judi James revealed, “Queen Elizabeth often looked at her happiest when surrounded by her great-grandchildren and even in more formal poses she appears relaxed and quietly playful."

The expert added, "Her bonds with all of them appear typically doting although we have been shown some moments that look especially intimate.”

According to Judi, while the late monarch adored all her her great-grandchildren, she did have a more “profound investment” in Prince George, as well as in his siblings Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, as she understands their “destiny” and how they must feel growing up with such pressure on their shoulders. 

Speaking about Princess Charlotte's bond with her great-grandmother, Judi revealed, "She is often seen close to the Queen looking happy and relaxed, suggesting a mutually close relationship.

“She sat on the Queen’s lap for one formal portrait and when that position was taken by her younger brother Louis for the next formal shot it was still Charlotte sitting close, between the Queen and Prince Philip, raising one hand in the air to suggest she was totally relaxed and totally uninhibited in their company.”

But her relationship with Prince George has 'something very special' added to it as he is an heir to the throne, the expert notes. “Like her relationship with Charles and William, there is always the sense of something very special in the Queen’s bonding with George that is based on empathy and destiny.

“The Queen knows more than anyone what is in store for her heirs and her bonds with George, who featured in that all-important photo with his father, grandfather and great-grandmother to define the line of accession, already show signs of a shared sense of duty alongside the more usual signals of a very loving great-granny.”

The Queen and Prince Louis

(Image credit: Getty)

Now the Queen is no longer the matriarch of the family, King Charles III has had to step up as not only the monarch, but also as the head of Royal Family. Judi James believes this won't be an issue for the King as he has always been a 'doting' grandfather to George, Charlotte and Louis. 

She revealed, "Like most grandparents, Charles probably dotes on all his grandchildren, even the ones he doesn’t get to see, but there is one in particular that the public has been allowed glimpses of that affection at work with.”

Referencing Prince Louis and Charles' interactions during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the expert shared, “You can pick a child up or sit it on your lap but it’s when we see Louis throw his arms around his grandad’s neck in a reciprocal gesture that we get a hint of how close the pair are behind the scenes.”

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News writer

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is a news writer for Goodtoknow, specialising in family content. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.