All eyes were on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry as they joined the thanksgiving ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral to commemorate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made their first public appearance together after Megxit, alongside Kate Middleton and Prince William. And, according to the body language expert Judi James, the encounter was particularly tense for Harry.
Judi said that the father-of-two began to exhibit indications of uneasiness as soon as he came to the church. Judi stated that Meghan’s switch-on smile was bright as they came at St Paul’s but Harry’s body language seemed depressed and anxious, like a dog with its tail between his legs.
As he moved around from the automobile, he conducted numerous garment touches to imply nervousness and kept one hand clasped to his waist while taking his wife’s hand in the other.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, on the other hand, appear to have had no such anxieties as they entered the service.
Judi continued that in contrast to the Sussexes’ low-key entry, William and Kate were in full regal mode, looking relaxed, upbeat, and chatty, with Kate taking the lead and showing up mildly more dominant in the kind of quiet, solid leadership position we have seen her take during other tough meetings with Harry and Meghan.
It was Kate who initiated the wave to the crowd, and it was Kate who led her husband up the steps.
During the service, the two couples took seats on opposite sides of the church, and Harry looked to be at ease at first however this did not last long. Harry’s body language alternated from quiet and nervous to short bursts of over-congruent enjoyment that were so discordant with his persistent worry signs that they indicated an underlying build-up of stress, Judi continues.
Silencing his fun side did appear to take its impact, and as he nudged in to joke or pull a face, Meghan reached out to grasp his waist, as if signalling he might need to be a bit more muted.
During the service, his facial expression changed to the haunted-eyed, contemplative face we noticed from him before he left the UK, implying persistent uneasiness and even melancholy at being relegated to the back row, with no evident bonding rituals with his brother or father.
Judi claims that while William was more calm throughout the service, he seemed socially awkward when confronted with his brother. When he eventually moved past Harry in the departure parade, his head turned away and he sucked in his lips as his chin pulled up, she adds. He also made a bodily barrier signal by raising his order of service fairly high.
On day two of the Platinum Jubilee festivities, the “anxious” Sussexes joined William, Kate, and other royals at St Paul’s Cathedral for their first formal event since Megxit.
The monarch herself is not present due to “unpleasantness” during yesterday’s celebrations. But, with the exception of Andrew, who has Covid, the majority of the Firm has convened in London for the event.
The Sussexes chose not to bring their kids, Archie, three, and Lilibet, one, who Her Majesty is thought to have met for the first time. Their presence at other events, like Party at the Palace or Sunday’s Pageant, is also questionable.
