Here's What The Royal Family's Body Language At Their First Official Appearance Reveals
Everyone's favorite real-life royal couples — Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and Prince William and Kate Middleton — appeared together in an "official" capacity for the first time on Feb. 28, at the Royal Foundation Forum in London. When looking at the foursome's body language, you can find out more about what is going on within the family and the couples — an inside look, even. Since our exposure to the couples is so controlled and limited to what they offer us commoners, we will take what we can get. To learn more about the royal family's body language at this appearance and what it says about them, I spoke with two body language experts: author of Persuasion Point, Traci Brown, and author of Snap: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language & Charisma, Patti Wood.
Both Brown and Wood offered their expertise to decipher what exactly Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince William, and Duchess Kate Middleton's body language revealed about both their romantic relationships and their relationships toward each other. The experts broke down the body language between the romantic couples and the future sister-in-laws. Here is what they had to say. (Spoiler: They're a tight-knit crew, and their relationships are solid.)
Meghan Markle's Reach For Prince Harry's Arm Indicates Comfort.
"She has her hand on him often, making two into one, possibly reaching for comfort or just strengthening their connection," Brown tells Elite Daily. "Harry and Meghan's smiles are genuine, and we can see that because they smile with their eyes, not just their lips. They like to be physically closer than William and Kate."
Wood offered more insight into the arm-touch moment from Meghan.
"In this moment, she's assuring him," Wood tells Elite Daily. "She does this gesture a lot — she puts her hand on his forearm somewhere between the wrist and the elbow. Typically, it's flat fingers, here it's curled fingers. It shows ownership: 'This is my man.' It sends a message to the interviewer and the public: 'He's mine.'"
According to Wood, it's an assurance of love. "He might be anxious, and you see her doing it to him. I typically label that as a couple ritual," she says. "If I watch a long tape of them, I know she's going to do that. He can be sure she will reach out to touch him, and he enjoys it. He never flinches, or swats it away."
William And Kate Are More Reserved With Their Affection.
"William and Kate aren't quite as warm in public," Brown says, about the couple's body language toward each other. "They won't show any PDA. They're showing they're happy — just being their more typical, reserved selves." Brown also said that while the couples are different— with Harry and Meghan showing PDA more than William and Kate — "they're tight, happy, and supportive in their own ways."
In the above picture, Wood also commented on Meghan and Kate's mirrored stances with their ankles crossed. "It's designed to make them look very feminine and demure, and they're both doing it," says Wood. "In other photos of Meghan, that isn't her standard way. That lets me know she's looking to Kate to say, 'OK, you sit with your legs crossed at the ankles. I will do the appropriate thing and match and mirror you.'"
Meghan Markle And Duchess Kate Took Center-Stage In Different Ways.
"Meghan doesn't have a problem taking center-stage briefly," says Wood. "She brought her hands up and out [in the above video] and brought herself center-stage for a moment." Meghan using her hands in conversation contrasted Duchess Kate's approach.
When Duchess Kate delivered her solo speech, she stood tall at the podium and kept her arms by her side. "[Kate is] much less animated," says Wood. "She's much more demure about her delivery."
From all the body language seen at the Royal Foundation Forum by the couples, it's clear these four are respectful, classy, and, well, family.
Just look at the future sister-in-laws:
(I want my future spouse to look at me like Kate's looking at Meghan, honestly.)
"I just love that the two couples are going out together as a unit," says Wood. "That's really fascinating, and to me, incredibly positive."
And Brown echoes those sentiments. "Both couples are solid," she says. "Both couples move together as a unit in full support of each other as a team."
