Body Language Expert Analyzes Resurfaced Photo of Meghan Markle Looking Angry and Prince Harry Looking Sad
After stepping down from their royal duties, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry returned to England together for the first time during the late Queen Elizabeth II‘s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022. Prior to that visit, a photo of one of the last times the pair were at a royal engagement in the U.K. resurfaced online.
Royal fans weren’t sure what to make of the photo though that shows the duchess looking very angry and the duke looking very sad. Here’s what a body language had to say about the picture of the Sussexes at one of their final royal engagements.
Picture that resurfaced before they traveled back to the U.K. for Jubilee
The photo that had fans buzzing is from March 7, 2020, exactly one year before their bombshell Oprah interview aired and a few days before the couple could officially mark the end of their royal duties in the U.K.
That evening the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the Mountbatten Festival of Music at the Royal Albert Hall. Meghan wore a bright red cape dress to the event which matched the color of Harry’s uniform. The two were all smiles when they arrived but showed very different emotions that same night when they were photographed together in the back of a car.
Body language expert breaks down why Meghan looks so angry
Body language expert Judi James spoke to Express about what she makes of the duchess’s expression in the photo.
“Meghan’s facial expression is in contrast to the red carpet smiles that she has been producing so brilliantly on their last duties in the U.K.,” James noted. “Her brows are puckered into a frown and her eye expression looks angry. Her teeth are displayed, but not in a smile, suggesting tension.”
James added: “This look could have been an odd and misleading moment, or any signals of what looks like anger and disconnection could have been prompted by something other than one another. But it’s clear Harry’s fans would rather believe the fairytale version of the couple smiling in delight to walk off together into a new and perfect life than the thought that their decision might be causing sadness or any negative emotions from him behind the scenes.”
The expert analyzes why Harry looks so sad
James also picked up on some things about Harry in that same photo. The event marked the last for the duke in his role as Captain General and according to James, he was experiencing some emotional turmoil over that.
“Harry’s smile has vanished here, to be replaced by a very distant, reflective and rather sorrowful looking eye expression. It looks eerily similar to the facial expression his mother Diana showed us from the car window once her own rejection from the royal family looked inevitable,” James opined.
She continued: “Seeing Harry looking equally miserable at a similar moment in his career (although clearly not in his life as he is happily married to a wife he loves, whereas his mother was going through a painful split from Charles) is haunting. It emphasizes the fact that, despite all his upbeat grinning poses, his move away from his family and all his ties in the U.K. is not something that he is doing either easily or without some sadness.”
Today, the Sussexes are living in the Montecito section of Santa Barbara County in California with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
