What Is the "Duchess Slant" and How Can It Help You Look Amazing in Pictures?

Of course Kate Middleton has found the most flattering way to sit!

April 26, 2016
By: Amanda Mushro

We've learned from celebrities like Kim Kardashian that the rule to a great selfie is "the higher, the better." But when it comes to taking a full length picture, it's Kate Middleton that can teach us the best way to strike a pose.

When the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William were photographed in front of the Taj Mahal, the picture instantly gained attention for two reasons. The first was because it echoed a similar picture of Princess Diana's visit to the famous landmark 24 years earlier, and the second reason is Kate's signature pose, which has been named the "duchess slant."

Kate, whose designer clothes and gorgeously styled hair, always looks picture perfect, but it's the zigzag pose when she is seated that makes her legs look long and lean.

Take a look at how the Duchess poses when she is seated: knees and ankles together, not crossed, and her legs tilted to one side.

Royal etiquette expert Myka Meier explains to People the "duchess slant" is the perfect pose for a seated lady in order to maintain her poise and posture. So if a camera is angled right in front of Kate, the royal family doesn't have to worry about a scandalous picture, because the camera will always get a picture of the side of her legs.

But besides simply protecting modesty, the "duchess slant" helps to make Kate's already killer legs look even better when photographed. Why? Because it has a lengthening effect on her legs. Kate isn't the only one that knows this secrete photo trick; her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, was often photographed with the same pose. Maybe it's something Queen Elizabeth teaches all royal ladies?

So here's how to test out the "duchess slant" the next time you're posing for a picture. Square your shoulders straight ahead while keeping your back and neck straight. Keep your knees and ankles together at all times. Position your legs so that you create a slant by angling your knees to the side. Place your hands in your lap and keep them folded one over the other. Smile for the camera and you have the perfect duchess-in-training pose.

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