Buckingham Palace Posts Gorgeous Portrait of Queen Camilla Sitting Alone—and Her Body Language Speaks Volumes

Amidst a difficult year when the royal family overcame the hardships of two cancer diagnoses, Buckingham Palace paused to reflect and celebrate International Women’s Day on Instagram with royal portraits of a few important women who have remained pillars not just in their household, but for their country. As I scrolled through these emotional and beautiful royal portraits, which include the late Queen Elizabeth II and a 30-year-old Princess Anne, none left me quite so stunned as Queen Camilla’s beaming portrait.

The sweet post, which can be seen on the royal family’s official Instagram, included a caption that reads, “Today, on #InternationalWomensDay, we are showcasing the Royal Family’s longstanding support for female photographers which stretches back as far as the advent of photography in the mid-1800s.”

In the second photo above captured in 2020, the then Duchess of Cornwall calmly sits on a lone chair wearing a chic dress while smiling from ear to ear as her hands lightly clasp a pair of glasses. Unlike the regal profile that precedes it of Queen Elizabeth II, I can’t help but notice that Queen Camilla’s body language tells the story of someone who is completely relaxed and happy, as though inviting us to be a fly on the royal wall.

Even PureWow VP of News and Entertainment Phillip Mutz had a lot to say over the royal’s demeanor: “It’s super striking to me that the royals chose this specific throwback photo from 2020, not just because it’s a gorgeous image (which it is). But also the queen’s body language is uncharacteristically relaxed and comfortable. We’re used to seeing her smiling while out and about at royal events, however, her smile here is fully genuine and dare I say stress-free (clearly a royal outing introduces a number of stressors that a portrait sitting does not).”