Prince William allegedly once became a shield between his wife, Princess Kate, and Meghan Markle to prevent “friction” between the two women, a body language expert has claimed. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have beenin an ongoing dispute with the Royal Family, particularly the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the two camps are no longer exchanging words.
However, that wasn’t always the case, as the four of them would appear to get on well when Meghan first met them in 2017. A year later, when the Sussexes married, the squad was even dubbed the Fab Four as they carried out engagements together.
But there was one engagement in 2018, where a royal expert decoded a “tense and awkward” moment between Meghan and Kate, two years before the Sussexes quit the Firm and any tensions between them became known to the public.
The engagement in question was during a service at Westminster Abbey to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force.
More than 2,200 people attended the ceremony inside the Abbey, during which members of the Royal Family met 8 veterans, personnel, and other members of the civil service. The day concluded with a spectacular flypast of 100 planes.
The Sussexes and the Waleses arrived together at Westminster Abbey and headed inside to greet various figures.
As Meghan approached and stood next to Princess Kate, who was speaking to the Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr John Hall, William positioned himself between them in what a body language specialist has described as a “human shield” move.
Body language expert Judi James told the Mail: “Superficially, and with the benefit of hindsight, now that we know about the tricky relationship between Meghan and Kate, this looks very much like a devoted and protective husband strategically and very pointedly stepping between his wife and her nemesis in the form of a human shield.
“William’s body language shows he is clearly aware that Harry and Meghan have honed into position behind him and he immediately ducks his head to move to stand next to his wife, even sucking his lips inward in what is often a signal of regret.”
However, the expert added that this could also have been a helpful move by the Prince of Wales, who wanted to welcome his sister-in-law into the fold
She explained: “There is a spatial gap between William and Meghan that doesn’t really show at this angle.
“When the royals greet their hosts at services like this, there is something of a royal queue with gaps that can turn into a log jam if a royal keeps chatting, as Kate often can. Meghan was new to the royal Firm and William’s body language to this point had shown him being friendly and welcoming.
“This movement and change of position could be the kind of adjustment you make to the position of a group at a party when someone new comes to join in.”
She added: “It is rude to keep your back to the newcomer as it is a sign of rejection. So, we often shuffle to ensure we encompass the new arrival. Meghan would not have been allowed to join William and Kate here as the pecking order is firm, but it would be completely conceivable for a very polite William to move in to place to ensure his back is not turned against her as she arrived behind him.”
“It is conceivable that William was trying to be polite to Meghan here, although it is also equally conceivable that he might turn himself into something of a buffer between the two women as he did so if he was aware of any friction.”