Last month, the whole royal family gathered for their first group event since Christmas. Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton, and Prince William were all in attendance. But according to a body language expert, the energy in the room was "distant" and awkward.
The family has faced rumors of a "feud" for entirely too long now. So pretty much every time these four are in the same place at the same time, fans speculate about whether they're getting along. (And if they're not in the same place at the same time, people speculate about that, too!)
Back when the royal foursome gathered on Christmas Day, they were all smiles, walking side by side. This time, body language expert Judi James claims that Meghan and Harry were "put in the corner."
"The two women used wide smiles and some tactile behavior [at Christmas] in a bid to put rumors of a rift to bed once and for all, which makes their rather distant behavior here all the more curious," Judi explained.
Judi added that Harry looked "grim-faced," whereas Meghan was smiley but "rather isolated."
Last month, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton, and Prince William attended the 50th anniversary of Prince Charles' investiture.
The ceremony celebrated the year that Prince Charles was officially invested with the title of "His Royal Highness" by the Queen in 1969.
It also happened to be the first time that Meghan, Kate, and the two princes have been seen together since Christmas, when they attended church together in the morning.
Body language expert Judi James interpreted the gathering for the Express, and her findings are interesting!
Judi noted that Meghan and Harry appeared separated from the rest of the group.
At Christmas, the whole foursome talked, laughed, and walked right next to each other — as if to intentionally put the rumors of a royal family feud to rest.
This time, not so much.
Judi explained:
“The phrase ‘nobody puts Baby in the corner’ doesn’t seem to apply to the senior royals here, who look for all the world as though they have put Meghan and her baby-bump in a corner as she and Kate appear together for the first time since their very over-emphatic displays of friendship at Christmas.”
"The two women used wide smiles and some tactile behavior back then in a bid to put rumors of a rift to bed once and for all, which makes their rather distant behavior here all the more curious," she added.
"Queueing for the meet and greet, Harry and Meghan stood behind William and Kate and although the husbands spoke to their wives, there seemed to be no sign of… Harry and William's usual banter or chat," Judi said.
"Grouped in the reception room we can see the Queen with Charles while Camilla stand[s] smiling behind them, with Kate placed to the Queen's right and next to her husband, but Meghan appears to be standing alone further behind them and to the side in the shot."
Judi asserted that Harry looked "grim-faced" as he approached Meghan. Meghan, on the other hand, was smiling, but still appeared isolated.
Judi then speculated about the reason for the physical distance.
"It could have been that the decision was made to make the celebration about Charles rather than a soap opera about Kate and Meghan," she said. "But it would have been great to see a happier and more easygoing-looking family group pose from the event.”
Perhaps like this one from Prince Charles' birthday celebration in November?
For the record, sources continue to claim that there is no feud between Kate and Meghan and that the two simply don't have much in common. The palace even issued a rare statement to debunk the rumors of a feud.
However, fans continue speculating about every little teeny-weeny, itsy-bitsy hint of conflict between the two duchesses.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry and Prince William are also reportedly on bad terms.
That leaves Meghan in a difficult position. She's currently dealing with a very real feud with members of her own biological family, who continue to talk badly about her to the press.
And for the past several months, she's been dealing with reports of a royal feud, too.
There did seem to be a bit more distance between the family at the Tuesday event as compared with past gatherings.
But hopefully, it's nothing but an unintentional coincidence. Meghan and Harry have mere weeks left before they welcome their first child. It should be a joyous time for all!
