Here's What The Royal Family's Body Language Reveals About Their Relationships
Is it just me, or is America caught up in Windsor fever? To be fair, the royal family gives us plenty of reasons to be obsessed, the latest of which being Prince Harry's engagement to Meghan Markle. The couple are gorgeous, clearly in love, and bucking traditions right and left. Most recently, they broke custom by including Meghan in their holiday visit to the Sandringham Estate, where the family attends a traditional Christmas Day. (In the past, girlfriends and even fiancées were not invited.) So of course, I was curious about what the royal family's body language at Sandringham could tell us about the relationships of our two favorite royal couples, and how Meghan is fitting in with her new in-laws.
To get some real insight to these dynamics, I contacted body language expert Susan Constantine, who took a look at a handful of pictures of both couples from the Christmas Day services to see what we could learn. As it turns out, these photos tell us quite a bit. Basically, according to Constantine, William and Kate's relationship is evolving, Harry is easing Meghan into his world, and Meghan is coping with a level of fame and scrutiny that even the actor wasn't fully prepared for. Here's how it all breaks down.
1. Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Relationship Is Solid And Comfortable
In the above image, where the couple seems to walk far apart, some people might interpret that as a sign of something negative in the relationship. However, according to Constantine, that couldn't be further from the truth. "When I look at the two of them here, even though there is distance between the two of them ... that does not show that there is distance between the two of them, but rather, the two of them are so comfortable being around each other," she says.
To Constantine, this photo is also evidence of Kate's confidence in both the relationship and her and William's respective duties. "Kate has really accepted her role," says Constantine. "She also appears very authentic. Her facial expressions are not forced; her expressions are not contrived. She reminds me a lot of Princess Diana in that her level of authenticity is what is her attraction."
Constantine's overall conclusion about William and Kate is that they are "great companions, best friends, and feel very comfortable around each other."
2. Harry Is Reserved, And Meghan Leans On Him
As for Harry and Meghan, their relationship is still fairly new and evolving, and it shows in their photos, says Constantine, particularly in Meghan's body language. For someone who has not grown up in this particular world (meaning the royal world), it can be really intimidating, and this is apparently evident in the way she clings to Harry.
"I don’t see anything negative going on between them. It's just that he’s more reserved, she’s more insecure, [and the fact that] she grabs on to him feels a little insecure," says Constantine. "She feels more surreal about the experience; it's just another day in business for him. I think he’s very proud to have her on his shoulder — it’s like a trophy wife to him. She doesn’t know what to think about it yet."
3. Meghan Is Still Finding Her Place In The Family
For the final image above, Constantine shares her thoughts about both of the couples together, as well as the relationship forming between the two women as they all come together to form a united front. "The closeness between the two couples is nice, with the two women paired together and the guys on the very end, which is showing that they’re protectors,” says Constantine.
As for Kate and Meghan, Constantine sees a potential for friendship there, particularly if Kate were to take Meghan under her wing. "Well, first of all, I don't think there is any strain," says Constantine. "I think that Meghan feels much more uncomfortable than Kate does." She explains that Kate doesn't appear to show any signs of feeling unsettled around Meghan. And even though Meghan's body language reveals a bit of uncertainty, Constantine "[doesn't] think that she feels competitive with Kate." She continues, "She’s just got this internal dialog going that’s going inside of her head that this is something surreal for her. It's almost like she’s in the play, but also watching the play at the same time."
But really, who could blame Meghan for being a bit intimidated? I, for one, am really rooting for her. I hope, in time, she really comes into her own in her new role. And most of all, I really would love to see Meghan and Kate becoming royal besties. Now that's The Crown spin-off I really want!
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