London
After calling it quits from the British royal family, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry reunited with Kate Middleton and Prince William on Monday.
The former royals were seen together with the royal family once again at Westminster Abbey in London for the Commonwealth Day service. However, what caught the eye of the public were the tensions visible between the two couples as a video from the reunion made rounds showing the Sussex pair getting ‘ignored’ by Kate and William.
Apart from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and Camilla were also in attendance at the event.
While the Sussex pair as well as Kate and William were present at the event, the two couples remained absent from the Queen’s official procession.
And as the couples had last year been accompanied by Her Majesty, this time around they were guided separately to their seats. The Palace has yet to disclose why the changes had been made.
Meghan arrived at the event in a ravishing rich green Emilia Wickstead ensemble paired with a matching William Chambers hat. Kate on the other hand was a vision in Catherine Walker’s red coatdress along with a Sally Ann Provan hat.
‘It wasn’t the warm reunion that we were all hoping for,’ said Ms James. ‘The tension in Harry’s body language especially was palpable. When Harry arrived, the minute he and Meghan had to drop hands, he immediately reached for his wedding ring which is a self comfort.
‘Even when she was beside him after they had stopped holding hands, he was missing her, needing her support.’
She added: ‘As Harry walked up the aisle, they both waved at the children, but his face otherwise was quite tense and unsmiling.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had walked in ahead of Prince William and Kate Middleton before Prince Charles and Camilla also arrived, and the Queen then made an entrance to trumpet fanfare and cheers from crowds outside.
Ms James claims the siblings appeared ‘awkward’ – with William seemingly failing to greet his younger brother.
While Prince Edward partly rose to greet the Cambridges, Sophie and the Sussexes remained seated.
Once William and Kate had driven away, Ms James said we saw ‘a different Harry altogether’. ‘With the other royals gone Harry and Meghan became an animated, tactile double-act again, with Harry chatting to Craig David as though he was an old friend and Meghan even leaning forward to touch Anthony Joshua on the arm to congratulate him for his speech,’ she claimed.
Ms James said the tension appeared to grow in Harry’s signals after William took his seat in front of him.
‘While Meghan curtsied and flashed a friendly, warm smile of greeting to Charles and the Queen, Harry appeared to be fiddling with his programme and later he appeared to be tapping his programme on his knee during the actual service,’ she claimed.
‘His facial expression looked distant and his accelerated blinking even suggested he might have been fighting back tears sitting behind the backs of the heads of all the family members he would be saying goodbye to.
‘Harry’s jacket-pulling gesture of tension increased once the service was over and he stood behind the Cambridge’s to say goodbye to his hosts.
‘Harry suddenly looked like a man reluctant to leave a party, throwing a thumbs up gesture to Joshua over his shoulder while Meghan touched Harry’s arm in what looked like a gesture of affection and steering.
‘Laughing and joking with the people outside, Harry’s relief looked so tangible that his sudden eyes to heaven and raised hands looked awfully like a signal of thanks.
‘He became animated and far more relaxed and holding Meghan’s hand again he looked like a man who felt he’s got the most difficult moments over and who could now return to being “Just Harry” again with his wife and son.’—AP
