Coming off the heels of a glorious wedding celebration, fans of the royal family have been eager to see how Meghan Markle settles into royal life. Now a member of the family, she will attend engagements in an official capacity and execute some of her duties as a duchess.
She has assistants, advisors, and Prince Harry by her side to guide her, but she also has the steady hand of Queen Elizabeth II. When it was announced that Meghan would be traveling by train with the Queen sans any other member of the fam, ears and eyes perked up to see how things would go on her first solo outing.
Last week, the Queen and duchess paid a visit to Cheshire to attend a series of events. Greeting crowds and schoolchildren, they were on hand for an opening of a new bridge as well as a tour of a local theatre.
During their attendance at the bridge event and the performance at Storyhouse theatre, they were being photographed and filmed. With so much footage available, body language experts have taken the opportunity to read the interaction between Meghan and the Queen.
One of those experts was Judi James. What did she catch? James told The Telegraph that Meghan displayed signs of nervousness, like touching her hair and ear, and placing her hand to her face as if to signify a “block”.
Shyness and anxiety often lead people to use slight, gentle blocking motions with their fingers or hands. James also noted that the new duchess seemed keen on gaining approval from the Queen, so she was careful in her movements. Sitting with her legs in what’s known as the duchess pose, she’s finding her footing.
“Meghan did so many self-checking gestures of anxiety which is interesting in such a confident woman. She walked up the aisle on her own without batting an eyelid.
Meghan was still being very careful. She sat with her legs crossed at the ankles and was clearly seeking approval.”
But the Queen was very relaxed during their visit and seemed warm towards Meghan. On several occasions, they could be seen beaming and laughing.
“The Queen was the happiest I’ve seen her in a long time. They looked like naughty teenagers giggling together at one point.
She looked positively girlish. When she smiles you can see the young princess coming out. She’s got a beautiful childlike smile and her little hands were formed into fists at one point. Perhaps Meghan did bring a little bit more of that out in her.”
Royal watchers have been quick to note what a privilege it is for Meghan to accompany the Queen for two reasons. For one, she has only been married for one month, and Kate Middleton didn’t do her first solo appearance with the Queen until a year after marriage.
Secondly, not even Prince Harry has ridden on the royal train. Check out this video to hear more about this special trip and to get a glimpse at some of the cute pics. These two look like they were enjoying each other’s company!
Are you good at reading body language? What do you think of the rapport between the Queen and Markle?