Kate Middleton's First Speech Angered Body Language Expert, Duchess ‘Over-Coached’

Kate Middleton’s first speech angered body language expert Judi James.

The Duchess of Cambridge was very shy when she first joined the royal family. But she has evolved over the years and appears to be more confident as of late.

When Middleton first delivered a speech as a royal, Judi James wasn’t impressed. According to her, Prince William’s wife’s first public speaking didn’t show her true personality.

“Kate clearly has the natural ‘stardust’ factor that her husband lacks, but her speech-making style has previously been over-cautious, led by what looks like a strong desire to get it right and avoid mistakes,” James told Express.

She felt that Middleton delivered her speech the way royals do when making formal speeches when they are launching a ship or opening a building. For her, it lacked personality and she was angered by it.

“Kate’s first speech as Duchess of Cambridge made me angry because - although she looked delightful - her stilted, over-cautious delivery suggested she had been over-coached to the point where we weren’t being allowed to see anything of the real Kate,” James said.

“It looked mannered and choreographed, with too many regular pauses that were timed regardless of context. These are often used to slow a fast speaker down, but good modern speakers tend to put authenticity over a ‘perfect’ delivery that lacks impact.”

In contrast, James said that her sister-in-law Meghan Markle has her own authentic speaking style and she sticks to it. She believes that Markle’s experience as an actress helped her pull it through.

In fact, Markle delivered her first speech without any notes. However, many were not surprised by it because Prince Harry’s wife is good at memorizing lines.

James compared Middleton and Markle’s first speeches and for her, the Duchess of Sussex performed better. According to her, Middleton was “painfully shy” while Markle knew how to handle the crowd.

“I don't know if you saw Kate Middleton's first speech that she made, but she was painfully shy. I think it was to children, you could see that she'd had training, she'd been told to pause. She hadn't taken control of the situation, she hadn't decided to be herself,” James said.