Meghan Markle’s “laughing” moment during an incident with Princess Charlotte when she was still a working royal was not what it appeared to be, a body language expert has claimed. The Duchess of Sussex married into the Royal Family in 2018, but her moves were put under the microscope long before that, when it was first announced that she was engaged to Prince Harry in 2017.
Following their marriage, royal watchers analysed her appearance during royal engagements to determine whether she was fit for the Royal Family. One of those appearances was during Trooping the Colour in 2018. Meghan appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace alongside other members of the Firm, including the Wales family with their children. Footage from the event showed Princess Charlotte seemingly taking a tumble before Princess Kate picked her up, with Meghan appearing to laugh in the background.
The video sparked backlash online at the time, with various people accusing the duchess of laughing at the incident.
But according to one expert expert, they got the moment wrong.
Body language expert Judi James told the Mail: 2This clip has seen Meghan accused on social media of a ‘mean girl’ level of enjoying another’s misfortune as she appears to smile or laugh after Charlotte takes a small tumble.
“The rumours around the bridesmaid-based wedding spat with Kate might have fueled these claims but a closer analysis of the body language here suggests the moment might not be quite what it seems.
“Firstly, there is the perspective to take into consideration. Meghan is busy chatting to Camilla, meaning she might not even have had a clear view of what happened.
“Camilla, Meghan and Harry had been laughing and chatting prior to the fall, so in many ways, Meghan is just politely carrying on with the mood of the conversation here.
“She seems to be taking her conversational leads from Camilla and Harry and, if anything, it’s Harry putting his hand to his face as though masking a laugh or making an aside-style comment here.”
She added: “And then there is a fair point to be made about anyone in the proximity when a child cries.
“Smiling is usually a common and thoughtful reaction that can be used to show empathy and care rather than irritation at the noise.”
