Share and Follow
Notable People / Royal family
Here’s what a body language expert noticed about how King Charles interacted with the Clooneys during a reception, plus how George broke protocol.
Several VIP guests attended a reception at Buckingham Palace for the winners of The King’s Trust Awards 2025. During the reception on June 25, King Charles met the winners of the eight U.K. categories: Enterprise Award, Education Award, Breakthrough Award, Young Change Maker Award, Young Achiever Award, Community Impact Award, Rising Star Award, and Volunteer of the Year Award.
The monarch was also seen chatting with some famous faces including Amal and George Clooney, whom he has known for years.
Now, a body language expert is pointing out how to tell if the relationship between the king and the celebrity couple is genuine.
Here’s more on that, and what George did that went against protocol as he spoke to King Charles.
Experts says the way Amal shakes the king’s hand is a clear sign of their ‘close bond’
Darren Stanton is a body language and behavioral expert with a degree in psychology. He previously worked as a police officer and used his expertise to uncover the truth when interviewing hundreds of suspects. He later moved into media and TV as a consultant and has been dubbed the “Human Lie Detector.”
Speaking on behalf of Betfair Casino, Stanton told Showbiz Cheat Sheet: “The key thing that stood out to me was when Amal Clooney shook the king’s hand. She leant towards him and shook with both hands, this is a sign of deep respect and reverence, reciprocal liking, and a really strong friendship.
“Politicians often do this, and it can often be disingenuous, but that doesn’t appear to be the case on this occasion. As the king was moving down the line, he lingered with the Clooneys and all three of them were showing genuine smiles with their faces fully engaged. There is clearly a close bond between them.”
The expert added: “They also both bowed as they spoke to him, a submissive gesture that shows, despite their obvious friendship, they acknowledge and respect his status. It was a very genuine interaction, nothing was feigned, and there is a great deal of mutual respect there.”
What George did that was against protcol
Grant Harrold was King Charles’ butler from 2004 to 2011. During his time working for the now-monarch, his duties included that of valet, housekeeper, house manager, and driver as well.
Speaking on behalf of Genting Casino, Harrold told Showbiz Cheat Sheet: “George Clooney breached royal protocol. Look at the video where he’s standing talking to King Charles — he’s got his arms folded. Putting your hands in your pocket or folding them is a defensive gesture; it’s not very open, which I don’t think is the best practice in front of royals.
“When you meet the king, normally you would have your hands to your side or behind your back. It’s not the done thing. George has literally got his arms folded as if he’s in some sort of business setting.”
Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges that conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)
{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};
if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;
n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,’script’,
‘
fbq(‘init’, ‘1931209583834020’);
fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);
