Meghan Markle and Prince Harry haven't spent time with the Royal Family together since the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, during which...
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry haven't spent time with the Royal Family together since the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, during which one expert has said they appeared "alienated".
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex flew to the UK in September 2022 to join The Firm at Westminster Abbey and pay their final respects to the late monarch. Body language expert Judi James has said the interaction Meghan and Harry had with King Charles seemed "hard-hearted and unpleasant".
Meghan and Harry were photographed walking behind Charles at Buckingham Palace before making their way to the funeral. Speaking exclusively to The Mirror, Judi explained: "These photographs of Harry and Meghan with Charles at the Queen's funeral seem to make Harry's subsequent disloyalty to his father seem even more hard-hearted and unpleasant."
She added: "Walking down the palace staircase the sense of alienation is obvious as Charles walks ahead, apparently oblivious of his younger son and his wife behind him. There is no sense of family huddling or even communication although the non-verbal messages look powerful.
"Harry might have been showing his solo bonding to his wife here by holding her hand but the emotional mirroring is with his father. Charles looks solitary and his head is bowed in what looks like grief. Harry's head is tilted away from Meghan and his facial expression with the steepled brows suggests he is silently sharing that grief with his father."
During the Queen's funeral, Meghan and Harry were sat behind the King. Judi said: "Charles later spoke of his love for Harry and Meghan and that affection might have been shown in their positioning during the Queen's funeral.
"Harry and Meghan were seated directly behind Charles and Camilla. For any leader in history the vulnerable position in terms of potential attack is the back, which is why we describe the people closest to us as 'having my back'. This would have been a position of trust in terms of Charles's emotions towards his son, despite comments and claims that had already been made.
"It would have allowed Harry to see his father's vulnerability caused by grief first-hand and close-up and perhaps have been an olive branch in their relationship." The expert continued: "Harry's body language looked full of resolve though.
"Hand-in-hand with his wife the pair remained solemn-faced and isolated together, with no obvious signs of approach or sharing more widely here. Meghan's face is hidden as her head is dipped and her expression hidden beneath the brim of her hat, while Harry seems to stand rigidly to attention with his brows drawn in a frown and a distant eye expression."
