Prince William Acted as a ‘Human Shield’ to Keep ‘Feuding’ Kate and Meghan Separate
There was a time when royal fans thought Prince William’s wife, Kate Middleton, and Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, were going to form a sister-in-law bond and become close. But that didn’t happen. Behind the scenes, the brothers’ relationship continued to crack, and their wives never got along.
Less than two years after tying the knot, the Sussexes quit their roles as working royals and moved to America.
Looking back, some wondered if there were signs of a frosty relationship between the ladies that we missed. Well now, an expert is discussing one moment when the Prince of Wales appeared to be using himself as a “shield” to keep the women apart.
Expert explains how William stepped in as a ‘shield’ between his wife and Meghan
Judi James is a body language and behavioral expert who has authored several books, including The Body Language Bible: The Hidden Meaning Behind People’s Gestures and Expressions. She analyzed video footage of Prince William stepping in to create a barrier between his wife and sister-in-law during an event at Westminster Abbey.
James told Daily Mail: “Superficially, and with the benefit of hindsight, now that we know about the tricky relationship between Meghan and Kate, this looks very much like a devoted and protective husband strategically and very pointedly stepping between his wife and her nemesis in the form of a human shield.
“William’s body language shows he is clearly aware that Harry and Meghan have honed into position behind him, and he immediately ducks his head to move to stand next to his wife, even sucking his lips inward in what is often a signal of regret.”
James added: “It is conceivable that William was trying to be polite to Meghan here, although it is also equally conceivable that he might turn himself into something of a buffer between the two women as he did so if he was aware of any friction.”
Tensions were extremely high the last time Meghan was around Kate and the other royals
Things between the royal ladies only got worse over the years after Meghan brought up a bridesmaid dress story during her televised interview with Oprah Winfrey and claimed that Kate made her cry.
The women came face-to-face a few months after that when Queen Elizabeth II died. And it wasn’t just Kate but also some other royal ladies who gave Meghan the cold shoulder for airing out the family’s dirty laundry in public.
Several reporters covering the monarch’s death witnessed tensions between Harry’s wife and senior royals, including Kate, Queen Camilla, and the Duchess of Edinburgh (formerly Sophie, Countess of Wessex).
Daily Mail editor Rebecca English spoke on the Palace Confidential podcast about what she saw when the family members paid tribute to the late queen at Westminster Hall, sharing: “A lot of what we saw happened off-camera because you weren’t allowed to pick up your cameras until they saw the coffin. We had five to 10 minutes of just watching them. The body language was fascinating.
“You couldn’t help but notice the body language between the senior royals and Meghan from where we were standing. You could see that Camilla, Kate, and Sophie were together, and the body language was very comfortable between them. But then there was Meghan, and you could have almost fitted somebody else in that space. It spoke volumes. Even if you didn’t know what we all know that has happened over the past few years, you’d have turned up and thought, ‘that looks a bit odd; there’s something slightly wrong here.’”
Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges that conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
