An Expert Unpacked Prince William’s Body-Language During Commonwealth Day
There was a great deal of anticipation leading up to Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s final engagements as senior members of the British royal family. In January 2020, the Sussexes announced their intent to step away from royal life in an effort to have a more peaceful and private existence.
Unfortunately, because of their already strained relationship with the royal family before announcing Megxit, the royals did not have any idea that the Sussexes were going to jump ship. They found out the news along with the rest of the world when the duke and duchess announced their plans on Instagram.
Since then, the Sussexes have been living in Canada, returning to the U.K. at the end of February to complete their royal duties. A body-language expert unpacked Prince William’s feelings during his encounter with his brother and sister-in-law at Commonwealth Day.
Inside Prince William and Prince Harry’s relationship
Though the princes had always been close growing up, things became strained between the men in 2016 when the Duke of Sussex introduced Meghan to the royal family. After the Sussexes wed, they embarked on a different path than the Cambridges, and the duchess was bullied mercilessly in the press. Now, Meghan and Prince Harry have decided to leave royal life behind.
This is what happened at Commonwealth Day
Though Commonwealth Day was the Sussexes’ final walk, Queen Elizabeth had them removed from her processional. Instead of walking in with Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, the Sussexes were quietly shown their seats. The Cambridges pulled out of the processional as well. However, this did not stop the awkward interactions between the couples.
According to royal commentator Camilla Tominey, The Daily Telegraph’s lip-reader gave the lowdown on the brothers’ conversation. According to the lip-reader, when Harry sits down he says to Meghan, “He just said Hello Harry to me and that was it,” Tominey explained.
Prince William’s body language during Commonwealth Day
According to Prince William’s body language, he had a lot of feelings during Commonwealth Day. “He’s doing a comfort palm, that palm down on his leg, which is comforting and suppressing his emotional state or he’s trying to suppress how he’s feeling,” body language expert Patti Wood told Marie Claire about Prince William’s posture during the ceremony. “The fist on top of that is an indication that he is suppressing slight amount of anger and if you go all the way up to the mouth, he’s doing a lip compression, which also says, ‘I’m suppressing my true emotional state.’ The furrowed brow that would say, it’s anger as well.”
Unfortunately, it does not appear that things between the brothers have rekindled. At present, the Sussexes are already back in Canada. “While the weeks and months ahead will no doubt present new challenges for the Sussexes, the couple genuinely feel a sense of excitement about what’s to come, which includes the freedom to work at a pace that suits them, no longer weighed down by protocol or threatened by toxic agendas,” Omid Scobie, Bazaar.com’s royal editor at large explained.
