Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle Showed Signs of a Rift During Their ‘Forced Outing’ Together, Expert Says

From the moment Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got engaged, many thought she would become close with her future sister-in-law. But as time went on, rumors of a rift between the Duchess of Sussex and the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton) began popping up in headlines.

Prior to leaving the royal family, Prince Harry said that the feud was between him and his brother, not their wives. Therefore fans were a bit surprised when Meghan went public with her side of the bridesmaid dress story and told Oprah Winfrey that things with her and Prince William’s wife weren’t how they appeared to the outside world.

Now, body language expert Judi James is pointing out the signs that showed when things seemed to sour between the ladies during a “forced” outing.

Wimbledon 2018 outing

James compared outings between the women in 2018 and 2019 and picked up on the signals of how much their relationship changed.

“If you compare the body language of Kate and Meghan at Wimbledon in 2018 and 2019 it looks as though their relationship is aging backwards,” James told The Mirror.

She explained: “In 2018, they looked more comfortable with each other, their outfits were synchronized and they seemed to be having the kind of fun you might have with a long-term friend, sitting close or angled in toward each other and even giggling using accelerated intimacy signals like whispering together behind their hands.”

Wimbledon 2019 outing

But the following year, James says it was a different story as everything they did looked “forced.”

“By 2019 though they were no longer trying to signal sister-in-law friendship, they were trying to disprove rumors of a rift, which always puts pressure on any body language performance,” the expert said.

She added: “Their body language signals looked polite but not endorsed by any signs of relaxed fun or the kind of tie signs that hint at a deeper, more relaxed level of friendship. Their smiles looked forced and in many ways, they looked as though they had just met.”

James noticed the lack of coordination in their outfits as well showing they weren’t on the same page.

She also observed that their “smiles appeared to take effort,” noting: “Meghan’s cheeks looked over-lifted and rounded while her mouth smile looked tense. Kate would normally present a more carefree version of herself at Wimbledon, throwing some of her royal body language to one side and becoming a keen, excited punter like everyone else but she looked much more formal here.”

The 2019 outing was one Kate’s sister, Pippa Middleton, attended with them as well, and looking back some would argue that did seem carefully staged with Meghan sitting in between the siblings.

Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.