Body Language Expert Says Prince Harry and Prince William Became ‘Toe-Curlingly Awkward’ Because of Meghan Markle
Prince Harry opened up about a tense argument with Prince William in the new Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, and a body language expert says the two brothers have become “toe-curlingly awkward” with each other because of Meghan Markle. Here’s what the expert said about how Harry and William’s body language together has changed over time, and what it has to do with Meghan.
A body language expert said Prince William was a ‘wingman’ to Prince Harry before he married Meghan Markle
Body language expert Judi James broke down interactions between Prince William and Prince Harry over the years and observed how their relationship has changed.
“When we look at the body language timeline of brothers William and Harry we can see the glaring evolution from complementary brothers, in what appears to be an almost exclusive, tightly bonded relationship to men acting like strangers, with their animosity barely hidden by any mask of civility as they bump up against each other in public like land mines primed to explode,” she told Express.
James said the royal brothers’ personalities were always very different, but they used to complement each other. “As young boys, their body language suggested dissimilar personality traits that formed a complementary ‘fit’ when they were together,” she said.
She said the brothers served as one another’s “wingman,” providing what the other lacked and needed. “As Harry’s wingman, William provided an almost paternal presence alongside the infamous banter and competitive traits they shared,” James said. “As William’s wingman, Harry was the man to lighten the load for the brother born into a sense of destiny, duty, and responsibility. William had the status while Harry had more freedom and the potential for more irresponsible fun.”
But the expert opined that the dynamic between Prince Harry and Prince William changed once Meghan Markle entered their lives.
Prince William and Prince Harry became ‘toe-curlingly awkward’ with each other because of Meghan Markle, says body language expert
Body language expert Judi James said that once Meghan Markle came into the picture, Prince William and Prince Harry started acting differently with each other.
“The brothers who could not be in any form of proximity together without grinning and laughing and winding each other up began to perform rituals of avoidance in public that looked toe-curlingly awkward,” said James.
But she added that there is still evidence of their former close bond in their interactions. “There are still traces of their signature body language mirroring when they are together, suggesting some deeper ties might well still bind them.”
James opined that now William seems sad and serious around his brother, while Harry appears tense and nervous. “But their faces will now wear expressions made of stone, and while William often adopts the pose and expressions of sadness you might expect of a funeral director, Harry’s haunted eye expression and his signals of agitation and anxiety speak volumes.”
The Duke of Sussex described a tense meeting with his brother in a new Netflix documentary
Fans don’t have to take the body language expert’s word about the changing relationship between Prince Harry and Prince William. The Duke of Sussex had opened up about the tension between himself and his brother.
In December, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle released their Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan. In one scene, Harry described an awkward meeting with the royal family about his decision to step back from his royal duties and move to the US. Prince William, Queen Elizabeth, and King Charles (who was Prince Charles at the time) were all in attendance. They excluded Meghan, which Harry believed was an intentional move.
“It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me, and my father say things that just simply weren’t true, and my grandmother, you know, quietly sit there and sort of take it all in,” said Harry.
The Duke of Sussex added, “I think, from their perspective, they had to believe that it was more about us, and maybe the issues that we had, as opposed to their partner, the media, and themselves and that relationship that was causing so much pain for us. They saw what they wanted to see.”
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