Signs of a souring relationship between Princess Kate and Meghan Markle may have been on display when the royals attended 2019’s Wimbledon tournament together, a body language expert has said.
The strain between Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle has been thoroughly documented since Princes Harry and William’s feud became public, yet neither of them has ever publicly addressed the rift.
Body language expert Judi James believed Kate and Meghan’s smiles were already “forced” when they accompanied each other to the tennis tournament in 2019.
Though their relationship further soured when the Susssexes sat down for their CBS tell-all interview in March 2021, Judi James has told the Mirror that body language signals suggest tension was already brewing long before.
She said: “If you compare the body language of Katw and Meghan at Wimbledon in 2018, and 2019, it looks as though their relationship is aging backward.
“In 2018 they looked more comfortable with each other, their outfits were synchronized and they seems to be having the kind of fun you might have with a long-term friend […]”
Pictures from the event show the royals sitting close by as they giggled and deployed other intimate signals like whispering behind their hands, according to Judi.
She continued: “By 2019, though, they were no longer trying to final to signal sister-in-law friendship, they were trying to disprove rumors of a rift, which always puts pressure on any body language performance.
“Their body language signals looked polite but not endorsed by any signs of a relaxed fund 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 added: “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 behavioral analyst also picked up on a display of vulnerability from Meghan at one point, as she placed one hand close to her neck.
