Small Meghan Markle Engagement Announcement Photocall Hand Gesture Showed Different ‘Prize’
TL;DR:
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had an engagement photocall on Nov. 27, 2017.
- Meghan Markle placed her hand on Prince Harry’s in a pose that indicated fondness and intimacy to a body language expert.
- The pose contrasted another typical way for women to “show of their rings” by holding up their right hand “away from their bodies.”
As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get closer to marking five years of marriage (May 19 is their wedding anniversary), revisit their 2017 engagement photocall. How the Duchess of Sussex displayed her engagement ring in a slightly unusual way and what it suggested to an expert, ahead.
Meghan Markle put her hand on top of Prince Harry’s, ‘prize’ wasn’t ‘ring’ but ‘connection with her fiancé’
A blustery day on Nov. 27, 2017, had the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announcing their engagement to the world. The pair, now parents of two living in Montecito, California, posed for photos at Kensington Palace’s Sunken Garden.
But it was the way Meghan showed of her engagement ring that caught the attention of body language expert Patti Wood. The former Suits star, now 41, held her now-husband’s hand while displaying the Harry-designed engagement ring with the other.
Meghan put her left hand on top of Harry’s, the author of Snap: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language & Charisma noted, saying it suggested fondness and intimacy (via Reader’s Digest Australia). More than that, it stood out among a more typical pose from women where they holding their hand out to offer a closer look at their ring.
“So many women hold up their right hand, away from their bodies, to show off their rings, as if the prize were the jewellery [sic],” Wood said, saying that didn’t seem to the case with Meghan. Instead, the prize appeared to be the connection with Harry.
Prince Harry recalled engagement ring being an afterthought for Meghan Markle in ‘Spare’
Harry’s description of proposing to Meghan in his Spare memoir matched up with Wood’s analysis. According to the book, the now 38-year-old proposed on a “cold night” in the backyard of Nottingham Cottage
He spread a blanket on the ground and had electric candles, champagne, and Meghan’s dog, Guy, nearby. Once Meghan accepted Harry’s marriage proposal — “Spend your life with me? Make me the happiest guy on this planet?” — the two laughed and cried before heading for the warm house.
“Oh, wait. Do you want to see the ring, my love?” Harry recalled asking, noting Meghan “hadn’t even thought about it.”
Meghan Markle appeared to take ‘charge’ next to ‘nervous’ Prince Harry during engagement photocall
Another body language expert, Judi James, offered a different analysis on Harry and Meghan’s movements at the 2017 photocall. Examining the couple’s body language as they stood in front of press at the Sunken Garden, James noticed a certain dynamic emerge.
Meghan, she noticed, seemed to offer reassurance and guidance. “It was Meghan who rubbed Harry’s arm in a gesture of reassurance as they approached the cameras,” James said (via The Sun). “And each time they shifted poses, Meghan did the small tie-sign of an arm-rub to suggest she was in charge of the choreography.”
Meghan waved. Shortly after Harry “mirrored” her offering a wave to the assembled media. James also observed Meghan appearing more comfortable in front of cameras than Harry.
“He looked almost too nervous to produce anything more than a rigid smile at first, while Meghan turned on the full Hollywood gleam beside him,” James said.
Since the 2017 photocall, Meghan has called the engagement interview that also took place on the same day, an “orchestrated reality show.”
Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
