Judi began: “There has always been speculation about who is the Queen’s favourite child. And while all four of her children clearly have a special place in her heart, there is one that does seem to have enjoyed some intense body language responses of indulgence and open affection from not just the Queen but Philip and the other three siblings as well.
“As her youngest child and with a large age gap between himself and Charles and Anne, Edward seems to have been the baby that the Queen allowed herself to dote on openly, rather than adopting a rather more formal approach with in public.”
Indeed, there is a 15 year age gap between eldest child Prince Charles, and the youngest of the four, Prince Edward.
Judi continued: “Charles and Anne were growing up during the challenging and busiest years when the Queen was first on the throne and settling into her new role and the status and duties that came with it.”
In fact, both were born before their mother’s accession to the throne in 1952, with Charles born in 1948 and Anne in 1950.
“As a future king, Charles must have always been seen as belonging to the country as much as his mother, while Anne always appears to have been a chip off her father’s block in terms of personality and approach to life.
“The Queen’s two youngest children were often referred to as a present to herself once she had proved a success in her royal role and by the time Edward was born we can see her looking much more relaxed about openly showing herself in a doting maternal role alongside her regal one.”
Despite her famous stoicism, calm nature, and ability to keep her emotions in check, Edward’s birth in 1964 came at a time where the Queen could further reveal her maternal side, Judi suggested.
She continued: “A photo taken at the time shows Edward sitting up in his pram, looking happy and sociable, while the rest of the family gather around him, gazing down at him with expressions of undiluted affection.
“In the middle of that pose stands the Queen, smiling warmly and apparently totally distracted by her youngest child.
“Edward is shown as the centre of their universe and a bringer of joy for them all.”
The youngest prince brought great joy to the Royal Family: “All their smiles look authentic, even Charles, who is so often seen in family group photos of the time looking melancholy and rather disconnected from the rest of the family group.
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“The public were shown images of the Queen sitting with a very young Edward, gazing down at him with a beaming smile of maternal delight as he spoke.”
Letting her guard down, she displayed “absolutely no body language signals of the kind of inner tension she might show if she was remotely worried about any naughty or un-regal behaviour in front of the world’s cameras”.
And one aspect of this mother-son relationship that has transcended time is their mirroring of each other’s gestures.
Judi stated: “We can also see their close bonds reflected in their trait of adopting mirrored poses together.”
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Even from a young age, Prince Edward seemed to convey subliminal messages to his mother through this act of “love and respect”.
Judi concluded: “The Queen’s wide smile when Edward is around looks almost as delighted and indulgent now as it did when he was a baby.
“Edward might not be photographed with his mother in public quite as much as his siblings but the intensity of the Queen’s affection for him is also signalled in the way that she also seems to see his wife Sophie as a close friend and trusted companion.
“Edward is not just her youngest he is also the one of her children who presented her with a happy and lasting marriage, too.”
