The new Duchess of Sussex was a guest of the
Queen on a royal visit to Cheshire on Thursday.
It was the first time that newly married Meghan
has accompanied the Queen without Prince Harry.
And as it was such a significant event for
the new royal, we wanted to know what was
really going on in her mind, so we asked body
language expert, Judi James, what she made
of the occasion.
In several of the pictures, there's some hair
touching action going on, which could indicate
Meghan's nervousness. Meghan's hair-touch
gesture looks like a fill-in gesture, i.e.
one we perform when we're not quite sure what
to do. While the Queen looks as confident
as any woman who has been doing the job for
a lifetime, the normally uber-confident Meghan
looks sweetly tentative and diffident here.
Her lowered head brings her hair around her
face and her rather awkward arm position suggests
she's still slightly in awe of her husband's
grandmother.
Her Royal Highness' "narrowed-eyes and raised
cheek smile" suggest she was delighted to
have Meghan by her side.
Interacting with Meghan, the Queen also threw
an "affectionate and reassuring-looking smile"
at the Duchess, indicating that she understood
there may be some nerves but that overall,
she was happy to be joined by the new member
of the family.
Though she may have been anxious, much of
the way Meghan was interacting with the monarch
suggests she had prepared for the day out.
As is protocol, she walked behind the Queen
and she was "diplomatic" when it came to her
body language, too.
Meghan faced the Queen as she chats but also
leaned backward slightly to listen to her
host at the same time. Her rounded cheeks
suggest she's getting into her stride here.
The standout picture from the joint visit
was of Meghan and the Queen having a right
royal laugh - but is there a deeper meaning?
Or did someone tell a joke?
This is clearly the most adorable pose. The
Queen having the best fun with Meghan beside
her, sharing the laughter. The Queen's clenched
fists and her style of smile suggest she's
chuckling in delight. Meghan's pose is still
more demure, with her legs crossed at the
ankle but her lowered head and her smile suggest
she's clearly sharing the joke here.
This is one bond that's only going to go from
strength-to-strength by the looks of it.
