Queen Elizabeth II is mother to four children, but her relationship with eldest son Prince Charles was put into question quickly. Body language expert Judi James weighed in on whether that infamous handshake ever happened, and if the Queen was a detached mother to her eldest son.
Judi exclusively told Express.co.uk: “The very hurtful rumour that has circulated the royal family for decades is that the Queen was a very cold and distant mother to her son Charles.
“Over the years her mothering skills have been blamed for his own coldness to his first wife Diana and even for rifts with his own sons, William and Harry.”
The Queen’s reputation was somewhat tarnished following one speculated event.
Judi continued: “The rumour tends to hinge on one piece of body language evidence: that iconic moment in 1951 when the Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, stepped off the train at Euston after a very long period of separation during a tour of Canada and, instead of throwing her arms out in a hug, offered a gloved hand in a formal handshake with her small son who was waiting on the platform to greet his mummy.”
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Known for her stoicism, stiff upper lip and reluctance to display heightened emotions – even positive ones – it is unsurprising that the then Princess did not bundle her son into her arms in public, especially as she had not yet been crowned as Queen.
Judi previously said that the Queen’s protocol ‘rules’ have remained “hewn out of rock” throughout her rein, and that her “wind-proof smile” is unwavering.
It is only in more recent years that the Queen has become more animated, having adhered so diligently to royal protocol for several decades.
However, while the monarch is undoubtedly unflappable, Judi suggested that the story of the handshake is a step too far, and that it is in fact an “urban legend”.
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“Far from being greeted as a stranger by his mother, Charles at one point stood surrounded by love, with a circle of adults including his mother, father, grandmother and aunt all bending and gazing at him with expressions of open and very doting affection and the Queen bending to kiss him on the head for the second time.
“By modern standards the ritual would suggest some controlled emotions but this was many years before Diana came along to change the rules in terms of being tactile and publicly affectionate with her children.
“Charles was a father with sons of his own by the time we saw Diana greeting them after a similar separation by flinging her arms out and performing prolonged, full-bodied cuddles of relief and delight.”
The previous four British monarchs had been men, so the future Queen had to adopt an air of power and authority, possibly encouraging her own emotions to take a backseat, particularly in public.
Prince Charles is seen giddily “bouncing in anticipation” as he waits for his mother, suggesting that the pair did have a close, warm relationship, perhaps behind the scenes.
The footage of the reunion is wildly different to the rumours of a cold handshake. “When the royal train arrived the Queen, Princess Margaret and Charles all moved closer to greet Elizabeth and Philip.
“Elizabeth gave her mother a very warm hug and kiss before turning to her small son.
“Charles looked distracted but, after his grandmother touched him on the head affectionately, he looked up and his mother extended her right hand with the index finger already extended to touch her son gently and lovingly on the cheek. She then bent towards him and kissed him on the head, placing her left hand on his shoulder in a gesture of protection and affection as she moved to kiss her sister Margaret.”
Her adoring looks completely dispel the “myth of a frosty and distant greeting”, as the party then “stand in a circle around Charles, all gazing at him with expressions of doting affection”.
Perhaps the reason for the confusion around the then Princess and her son centres around Princess Anne, who, as the more “boisterous” younger sibling, consumed much of the adults’ attention.
“Anne causes the drama by refusing to shake someone’s hand but when Charles does step forward to offer his own hand in a shake the group seems to ignore him and his apparent invisibility does make a rather sad sight.”
One-year-old Princess Anne’s “spontaneous, naughty behaviours” were indulged, whereas toddler Prince Charles was trusted to be “well behaved and even rather grown-up for his age”.
As for being “relaxed” and “openly doting” on her children in public, it was only after Prince Edward was born in 1964, just over 15 years after Charles, that the Queen loosened up on the “formal approach” to parenting in public.
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