Meghan Markle No Longer Displays a ‘Bulletproof’ Smile Says Body Language Expert: She Isn’t ‘Under Pressure’
A lot has changed for Meghan Markle since she and Prince Harry stepped away from their royal duties. One change is that Meghan can be more relaxed. Now that she’s no longer a working royal, she isn’t expected to be as formal. A body language expert noticed Meghan no longer displays what she refers to as a “bulletproof smile.”
Meghan Markle had a ‘bulletproof smile’ during royal events says expert
Although Meghan put on the perfect smile during most of her royal engagements, there were times when she appeared tense, says body language expert Judi James. Toward the end of her time as a senior working royal, Meghan had what James calls a “bulletproof smile.”
“When Meghan was appearing in the UK as part of the royal firm she performed a pitch-perfect royal smile,” she tells Express. “But towards the end of her time in the UK, when she and Harry were clearly under pressure, Meghan produced a ‘bulletproof’ smile.”
Meghan appears to have a “grin and bear it” approach at this time in her royal life. She’s doing the best she can to get through her duties and move on to the next chapter in her life. James says this is “a fixed smile that [Meghan] amazingly managed to sustain throughout their last few outings, even while Harry was looking anxious and dour.”
According to James, Meghan’s smile wasn’t convincing. To her, it looked like the duchess was trying to get through her final royal events. “The smile was medal-winning but not convincing as a look of genuine happiness or pleasure,” adds James. “There were micro signs of tension around the lips and her head tended to be held straight with a stretched neck. The smile was performed rather than aimed at anyone in particular and her eye expression was not a smiling one.”
Meghan Markle is under less pressure now
James says Meghan’s smile has changed because she’s under less pressure now. Instead of the “bulletproof” smile, the duchess displays a relaxed facial expression. “Her most recent photos in the US show Meghan using what is often called the Duchenne smile, a very natural-looking smile that seems to reflect genuine pleasure or good humor,” says James in her Express interview.
Meghan Markle says she cried after her final royal engagement
During the Netflix docuseries Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex admits she was under a lot of pressure as a working royal. She says much of the stress she experienced was from negative media attention and what she perceives as a lack of support from the institution of the royal family. Meghan says she “collapsed” in a security guard’s arms and began crying after she got off her plane.
“I tried so hard, and that’s the piece that’s so triggering,” says Meghan during the documentary. “Because you go, ‘And it still wasn’t good enough.’ And you still don’t fit in.”
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