A body language expert has suggested that a subtle hand gesture from Meghan Markle during their interview with Oprah Winfrey indicated a shift in her relationship with Prince Harry. Expert Judi James believed that Harry’s role as guide and protector at this point had finished, and the “tide had changed” in their relationship.
During the 2020 interview, Meghan made accusations of racism and claimed that Princess Kate made her cry. Harry also spoke about his strained relationships within the Royal Family. According to Judi, their hand gestures revealed that while Meghan appeared confident, Harry seemed less so and needed his wife’s support.
She told the Mirror: “I think when Meghan came to the UK, Harry very much saw himself in the role of overly protective husband that knew that all hell was going to break lose in terms of press and public interest, and was desperate to protect her – albeit that she presented herself as a very confident woman.”
“But I think the tide has completely changed looking at the Oprah Winfrey clip.”Now she seems to have taken a much more vulnerable Harry back to the US with her and she seems to be more in the role of rescuer and protector with him.”
“This hand gesture that you can see, he’s got his hand on the chair and she’s placed her hand on top. That’s almost a maternal looking gesture, it’s though it’s being used for reassurance and to let him feed off her confidence.”
She added: “Clearly she’s friends with Oprah, she’s used to being in front of the cameras she’s an actress, but to Harry this is a whole new world that he’s being judged by and being asked to perform.
“And it sounds from the clip as though he’s going to rip his soul out in front of the camera and tell us about everything.”
According to Judi, Meghan is sitting with a pit-bearing gesture which shows she is confident, but she also added that the Duchess of Sussex looked “very demure, very regal and very elegant”.
“She’s got the upturned V gap underneath her armpit which shows a confidence,” she continued. “When we feel like we’re being bombarded with difficult questions or we’re not comfortable women in particular tend to self-diminish, we bring out arms in.
“But with Meghan she’s got that super self-controlled, confident image going on here.”
Judi said she thought Harry needed Megan’s support, stating: “Harry on the other hand is much less self-assured, he is sat diagonally and he kind of looks a lot more awkward.”
Observing Harry’s posture, Judi noted: “He is doing a male pose, he’s got his hand between his legs. It’s called the fig leave pose, it is a very self-protective gesture.”
She found Harry’s body language drastically different during his interview with James Corden. “Here he looks way more guarded and a lot more uncomfortable and very much in need of that hand clasp that he’s getting from Meghan,” she said.
