Body Language Expert Says Meghan Markle Didn’t ‘Play Ball’ With Kate Middleton During 2018 Christmas Walk
While the royal family celebrates Christmas with King Charles III on the throne for the first time, revisit holidays past. Before relocating stateside, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle participated in royal family Christmas walks. And, as a body language expert explained, the Duchess of Sussex hinted at her discomfort when Kate Middleton tried to “engage her in some animated chat” on Christmas Day 2018.
Kate and Meghan attempted a ‘‘we’re really best mates’ body language display’ on Christmas Day 2018, expert says
Long before the Africa documentary, 2021’s Oprah interview, or the recent Netflix docuseries, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex took part in royal family Christmas tradition. They went to Queen Elizabeth’s country home, Sandringham, for the holidays, and walked to church.
Although the “real rift” had been between Harry and his brother Prince William, Meghan and her sister-in-law were the “shock absorbers, according to body language expert Judi James (via Express). At the time, she noted, “speculation about a rift between Meghan and Kate were rife.”
“When it should really have been William and Harry performing the challenging ‘we’re really best mates’ body language display, it was Kate and Meghan who drew the short straw and stepped bravely up to the plate instead,” she explained.
So Harry, Meghan, and the Prince and Princess of Wales walked together as they and the rest of the royal family made their way to Sandringham’s St. Mary Magdalene Church. Along the way, Kate and Meghan chatted and smiled.
However, as James pointed out, “subtle” body language clues from Meghan suggested she wasn’t comfortable.
Meghan Markle ‘played along quite well’ but ‘small details’ hinted at her discomfort alongside Kate Middleton
Slight hints of discomfort showed in Meghan’s body language during the 2019 Christmas walk, James said. She might’ve offered a seemingly friendly response to her sister-in-law when Kate tried to “engage her in some animated chat,” but James saw some worry too.
“Meghan’s response looked complimentary apart from the small details,” the body language expert said. “She kept her arm linked tightly into Harry’s and turned her head rather than her body toward Kate.”
“Nobody could blame her for not wanting to play ball when it wasn’t really Kate or her who was at fault,” James continued. While Meghan “did play along quite well,” small elements of her body language suggested otherwise. Her “tight grip on Harry’s arm suggested there might be a limit to her enjoyment of the ‘photo opportunity.’”
Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton haven’t been seen together on Christmas Day since 2018
The last time Kate and Meghan stepped out together on Christmas Day was, in fact, in 2018. Meaning to date they’ve made only two Christmas Day appearances with each other. First, in 2017, when Harry and Meghan were engaged. Then, of course, the following year.
In 2019, Harry and Meghan spent the holidays in Canada with their now-3-year-old son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. Meanwhile, William and Kate joined other royals for Christmas festivities at Sandringham.
Shortly after returning to England in 2020, Harry and Meghan announced their decision to “step back” from royal life. And the rest, as they say, is history. Harry and Meghan moved to Montecito, Calif., where they now reside with their son and 1-year-old daughter, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.
As for the last time Meghan and Kate were seen together in public, they both attended Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in September 2022.
Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
