Prince William Competing in London NFL Event Proves His Nerves Don’t Get the Best of Him Anymore

Prince William recently took part in a different kind of football than what he’s used to in the U.K. by participating in an event for the National Football League.

The Prince of Wales showed off his skills at an engagement for the NFL Foundation in London on Oct. 15.

Some in attendance complimented the future king including Louis Rees-Zammit, a former Welsh rugby player who is now a wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He told People that William’s throwing arm “was great. It was a lot better than mine … He could definitely be a quarterback one day!” And Phoebe Schecter, GB Women’s Flag Football team captain added: “He’s got such a strong arm, I couldn’t believe it.”

While many praised the prince for his football skills, a body language expert was impressed by something he saw in William’s demeanor that is such an improvement from how he used to conduct himself during engagements.

Prince William poses with Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Louis Rees-Zammit as they attend a NFL Foundation flag football event | KIN CHEUNG/AP POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Expert says Prince William is ‘so much more confident now than he used to be’

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.”

Stanton has analyzed photos and footage of the Prince of Wales over the years and observed that his confidence has grown so much.

Speaking on behalf of Betfair Casino, Stanton explained: “[William’s] so confident now compared to how he used to be. No nervous tells on show here, such as biting his lip, or hands in his pockets. He is generally very confident in his posture, stands upright and strong. He’s always willing to get stuck in and literally play ball with people he’s interacting with. He seems to get on with everyone well, and there’s reciprocal smiles from the other attendees. We can see William is actually interested in being there and enjoying his time, we see a very confident version of William in these clips.”

Prince William catches the football as he attends a NFL Foundation Flag event | Kin Cheung – WPA Pool / Getty Images

The expert added: “If we look historically at Prince William, he used to exhibit lots of signs of insecurity and a lack of self-esteem. Facially, he used to look quite worried, his eyebrows would be quite close together, and we’d see gestures coming out to reassure himself. He didn’t used to be very animated in the way he walked, but now he takes big strides. The more space we occupy and the bigger the step we take is a reflection on how confident we are.

“This trademark tucking your hand into your jacket like his dad used to do, we don’t see that anymore. That’s one of the things that lets us know he’s not just widened his confidence overall, but he’s also developed as a person to operate individually. He’s got great eye contact now, which he never used to have, he gives people full eye contact. He’s much more tactile too, shaking their hands and touching their arms, which is a sign of connection and trust. We can say that he has developed his confidence to quite a large degree.”

The Prince of Wales is just as competitive as his wife

Stanton also talked about Prince William’s love for sports and how he is just like the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton) who also enjoys competition.

Prince William and Kate Middleton participating in the regattas during trip to the Bahamas | Karwai Tang/WireImage

“He was wearing trainers, a really nice touch. He’s saying, ‘I want to be like you, I’m not separate’. Yes, he has a suit on, but wearing trainers allows him to be more casual and move around better. He’s got a very competitive nature, just like Kate.

“You can see, when he’s playing around, in his face, he loves to take part in things like this and wants to do well, and he’s pretty good! He gets high fives from some of the others taking part at the event, and you can see some of the adulation on his face. He loves interacting with people, being part of the action, and loves to compete.”