Body Language Expert Points Out Prince Harry’s ‘Sexual Gesture’ in Photo With Meghan Markle
A body language expert believes Prince Harry displayed a “sexual gesture” in a new photo with Meghan Markle. The way Harry is seen holding onto her finger is “intimate,” the expert says, though it seems innocent enough at first glance.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle released new photos
On Oct. 3, photographer Misan Harriman released photos of Prince Harry and Meghan he took at the One Young World summit.
One of the photos is black and white and shows the couple in profile as they both look forward. The other image features Meghan in a bold red outfit facing the camera squarely, while Harry stands behind her at a slight angle to the camera.
“The Duke & Duchess of Sussex moments before attending the opening ceremony of @OneYoungWorld last month,” Harriman wrote in the caption.
Prince Harry displays ‘sexual gesture’ in one photo with Meghan Markle, expert says
There have been a number of analyses of the photos and some experts have noted the interesting way the couple aren’t fully holding hands in the color image but do still make contact with each other.
During an appearance on The Morning Show, Louise Mahler pointed out a “sexual gesture” she noticed.
“They are touching hands but the way they touch hands shows a certain intimacy,” Mahler explained. “So this is not the hand on the back, this is actually finger-stroking.”
Mahler continued, telling co-host Larry Emdur, “I could hardly come over to you and, say, (do) a little bit of finger stroking.”
When co-host Kylie Gillies argued that the couple is married so it’s “appropriate,” Mahler said, “It is, but it is showing it’s an intimate stroke, a sexual gesture. As opposed to something that is…”
Emdur interjected, asking, “The way she’s holding his hand there is a sexual gesture?”
Mahler said that Harry “is stroking her finger” in the photo which she deems “sexual” in nature.
Expert examines Harry and Meghan’s expressions in the photo
Mahler also shared her views on the release of Harry and Meghan’s photos on the heels of a new image of King Charles, queen consort Camilla Parker Bowles, Prince William, and Kate Middleton.
She called the timing “ridiculous” and said it indicated they are “in competition” with other royals. “The fact she is wearing red — wearing red, that’s not a royal color so they are saying, ‘we are different,’” Mahler noted.
The expert also looked at Harry and Meghan’s facial expressions. “Meghan has a neutral expression but her eyes could cut glass,” Mahler explained. “But with Harry, it’s his smile — there are 19 Ekman smiles and that is not one of them.”
Mahler called Harry’s expression “challenging” and “contemptuous.”
She added, “His eyes are partly closed, which is part of resting b**** face.”
As for Meghan, Mahler said she is showing off her acting skills. “It is an acting technique that, when you go on stage, don’t look down,” she said. “Everybody wants to look down and we tend to talk to our internal voices when we do that.”
She continued, “So, acting technique, always look up. With Meghan here in this photo, she is looking up, and then going, ‘Have you got the camera, have you got the light?’”
Mahler added, “It’s always Meghan’s moment.”
Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
