The last Christmas Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spent with the royals was in 2018, when the Duchess of Sussex was pregnant with the pair’s first child, Prince Archie.
Despite the couple offering smiles to waiting fans, all wasn’t as it seemed according to a body language expert. The couple looked ‘isolated and ignored’ at their final royal Christmas appearance, Judi James claims.
Not only that, but Meghan also tried to “take charge” of the awkward situation at Sandringham, while Prince Harry appeared ‘distressed’ by his family’s rejection, which coincided with the time rumours of tension between Meghan and Princess Kate had been circulating.
Despite an attempt to put on a united front, Harry and Meghan appeared “isolated, ignored and awkward” during the royal walkout outside St Mary Magdalene Church, Judi James revealed.
Judi told the Daily Mail: “Harry has decided to gaze across at his father with a smile of affection, although his ‘paperclip’ hand clasp of his jacket suggests he’s distressed here by possible feelings of rejection.”
Megahn appears to have stepped in to “steer” Harry through the “disastrous” interaction as Ms James highlighted that the roles between royal and non-royal seemed to shift.
She added: “The impression here is that she knows the rules in terms of royal behaviour and that it’s Harry who now needs to be steered.”
Meghan used a strategic hand placement, suggesting that she is “taking control of the choreography”.
Judi explained: “It’s not just resting in a gesture of affection – we can see her inner two fingers apparently pressed hard into Harry’s arm as she pulls him in her intended direction.”
Though Harry does not move in the direction Meghan desires, which prompts her to allegedly repeat a small ‘pull’ action and even use her handbag as a tool to direct her husband.
According to the body language expert, the duchess also deployed an “exaggeratedly gracious smile” to convey joy and calmness, while giving subtle direction and “commands”, and her acting skills came in handy as she was able to seamlessly “direct Harry verbally as well as physically without allowing the strenuous smile to shift from her face”.
