Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Time Magazine Cover Body Language Is Revealing: Prince Harry Looks ‘Like a Follower,’ Expert Says
Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex grace the cover of Time, making the magazine’s list of 2021’s most influential people. Body language expert Judi James analyzed the magazine photos of the couple, noting Meghan’s power pose and Prince Harry appearing like a “fish pulled out of the water.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are on Time’s 100 most influential list
The Time cover photo has gotten plenty of attention, as Meghan stands in front of her husband while only half of Prince Harry’s body is seen.
Time posted the photo on its Instagram account, announcing, “Prince Harry and Meghan are among the 100 most influential people of 2021.” Plenty of commenters weighed in with their thoughts about the photo, “This magazine front cover truly represents the dynamics of their relationship,” one person noted.
Other commenters pointed out the bizarre pose, with one person remarking, “He looks like he’s hiding behind her and that she’s in charge.” Still others found the image overly airbrushed. “That photo is so awkward, is it photoshopped?” one commenter asked.
A body language expert weighs in on the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle photos
Body language expert Judi James weighed in with her thoughts on the Prince Harry and Meghan photos, noting that Harry seems to be in a “wingman” role. She told the Mirror that the cover photo and the magazine’s other photos of the couple show a “very different face of Harry and Meghan” and pointed out the power balance between the two.
James explained the shift from photos when Harry and Meghan lived in the UK, “where Harry was the host and Meghan was learning the ropes as a royal.” She shared that more recent pictures have Harry appearing to be “bowing visually to his wife’s superior status.”
In their Time photos, James said that Meghan “looks like her character in Suits got a promotion while Harry looks like a fish pulled out of the water. Meghan is featured to the middle and the front of these poses and in the corporate world they would define her as the CEO, with Harry’s poses suggesting him in the role of wingman.”
Meghan’s power pose is on display, according to James, who explained, “Meghan’s legs are splayed in a gesture of confidence and her eyes greet the camera with a direct gaze.”
James called out Meghan’s hands, explaining the “hand clasp is more tentative [in the cover photo] but in the other pose she performs a partial cut-off gesture, with one arm held across her waist while the other hand is up near her face.”
She added, “This is a popular pose for CEOs and experts as it suggests intelligent challenge and an enquiring mind.”
Prince Harry is ‘looking more like a follower,’ according to expert
James’ analysis of Harry’s body language is interesting. “Harry though is seen standing behind his wife in the [cover photo], leaning in to place his hand on her shoulder looking more like a follower and supporter than a leader,” the expert noted.
She shared that Harry’s hands in his pockets in another photo “suggest a less active role” and his serious expression and raised chin “suggest a corporate look but standing turned in toward his wife he looks like the one watching the action rather than the one doing the communicating.”
