Prince William ‘charisma’ and ’empathy’ on full display at King Harald of Norway’s moving funeral, says body language expert

The day after dropping his son, Prince George, off at boarding school, Prince William traded parenting duties for his responsibilities as heir to the throne. The Prince of Wales represented his father, King Charles, at the funeral of Norway’s King Harald on September 9. Because the British sovereign typically does not attend the funerals of other heads of state, it was William who joined royals from around the world at the service in Oslo.

Be it the way he carries himself, or perhaps even his facial hair (after all, Spain’s King Felipe, Denmark’s King Frederik, Norway’s King Haakon and the Netherlands’ King Willem-Alexander all have it), there is a Kingly aura about William, 44, and it was on full display at King Harald’s funeral.

According to body language expert Judi James, William’s attendance at the service allowed “us to see the evolutionary rise of the signals of charismatic leadership that he will be bringing to his future role as King.”

“His height and his increasingly easy elegance show how well he slides into a diplomatic role on the world stage,” Judi told HELLO!. “Diplomacy is never a given for a royal and many male royals have been better known for a more irascible and challenging style, but William’s non-verbal signals suggest a man able to read and anticipate situations and register empathy, plus an ability to synchronize with people around him rather than dominating in the way that many royals tend to.”

Buckingham Palace announced in the days leading up to King Harald’s state funeral that William would attend, representing his father. The Prince traveled to the Norwegian capital with his aunt Princess Anne, who is a godmother to Norway’s King Haakon and attended the funeral service in a personal capacity. 

Together, King Charles’ firstborn and sister accompanied the late Norwegian monarch’s casket in a procession to Oslo Cathedral alongside other visiting royals. Judi highlighted how William stood out in the procession “via his pose of quiet, calm, focused dignity.” 

“He walks with his hands clasped in front of his torso and his facial expression includes a frown of concentration and a thoughtful, reflective, straight-ahead gaze,” Judi observed. 

“With his aunt Anne he is clearly keen to be gallant and to avoid any overt displays of hierarchical status,” she added.

Inside of the cathedral for the funeral service, William took his seat beside a fellow future King, Crown Prince Christian of Denmark, and was pictured interacting with Spain’s Queen Sofia. With William in the pews, Judi pointed out that “we can see more signs of a very relaxed and confident ability to ‘match’ the mood as he leans forward to share a playful, affectionate smile with Queen [Sofia], clearly picking up on her mood first to get the moment completely right.”

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Following the service, when it came time for him and his aunt to leave, William was seen, per Judi, “being mindful and watchful of the situation as he steps in using a polite but firm downward point to check they are going to the right car.

“Anne waves her hand to signal he should walk ahead of her, but William’s diplomatic trait sees him walk in step with her and mirror her pose to avoid any obvious signs of superior pecking order.”

While his body language may offer clues about the kind of leadership William will bring to his future role as monarch, the Prince himself has previously spoken about what can be expected when he’s on the throne. “I think it’s safe to say that change is on my agenda. Change for good. And I embrace that and I enjoy that change. I don’t fear it,” William revealed in 2025. That’s the bit that excites me, is the idea of being able to bring some change.”