Kate Middleton - body language analysis during her first public speech

After almost a year of being Duchess of Cambridge Kate has given her first public speech on her official visit to the opening of The Treehouse Children’s Hospice in Ipswich, England. The speech lasted just over two minutes.

The first thing I’ve noticed was how stressed Kate was; stressed to the point that she forgot the speech and had to read every sentence. Also her voice was shaking and she hardly smiled during the speech (unlike Kate). Her gesticulation was very intense but her hands were still hidden behind the podium. I believe she kept her arms close to her body in a comforting manner. There was also one moment in the middle of the speech when she stroked her hair while stopping the speech entirely; it was a self-comforting gesture. Otherwise, Kate seemed well trained. She tried to embrace the whole audience with her eyes. She accentuated the important messages in the speech; maybe a bit too much due to nerves.

All in all Kate didn’t do that bad but she certainly lost her charm in all the stress. The only natural Kate we have seen during the speech was when she mentioned William; you could see the love on her face. She still has a long way to go before we hand her a ‘speech of the year award’ but she’s on the right track. Well done Kate!

Watch the video of Kate’s speech here

Filed in: body language, duchess of cambridge, kate middleton, public speaking, public speech, the treehouse children's hospice, william

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