Meghan Markle has been given a major boost by King Charles after she was positioned as 'star of the show' in an official royal family photograph carefully selected for the Coronation, a body language expert has revealed.
After Buckingham Palace released the smiling image on Instagram of the seemingly close-knit royals surrounding the King for the historic event, many fans did not expect to see such a strong addition of Prince Harry and wife Meghan in the photo.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have made their estrangement from the Firm very public in recent years, the Mirror reports. Meghan also made the decision to skip the entire Coronation on May 6 after she chose to remain in LA with her children instead, meaning Harry has been left to face his relatives alone.
Despite their family feuds, King Charles has taken huge steps to deliberately select an image that shows Meghan and Harry are a firm part of the family - which even overshadows Prince William and Kate Middleton, according to body language expert Judi James. After studying the cosy photo, Judi says the Duchess of Sussex is the 'stand out star' as she laughs with Queen Camilla and Princess Charlotte, while Kate Middleton looks 'downgraded'.
Speaking to the Mirror, Judi also said that King Charles had sought to 'airbrush history' with the happy families image. He added: "Kate has received a body language downgrade here. Standing to the side of the pose and looking outward, she appears stripped of her current status as the stand-out star of the Firm.
"It's Meghan who catches the eye here, bending forward and laughing in delight as she shares the happy moment with Camilla and Charlotte in a very active and relaxed-looking way. Her pose here suggests warmth and a desire to get involved as part of the family."
Judi continued: "The choice of a pose that depicts the royals as one fond, loving and closely-bonded family group is so distant from current reality that it suggests that Charles is either a fan of historical air-brushing and photo-shopping, sweeping all the splits, rifts and bitterness under the carpet, or that he is keen to show the Sussex’s are welcome back into the fold, with an added hint that maybe life wasn’t so bad for them here after all."
Harry and Meghan's relationship with the Royal Family hit an all time low after the couple released a Netflix documentary and Harry published his debut memoir Spare. In the book, the 38-year-old Duke describes Queen Camilla as 'dangerous' as well as detailing an alleged physical attack that his brother William made on him.
However, in the Coronation picture, Judi says Harry and William look united. He said: "And of course the two brothers are in a significantly bonded pose here as though any rift was all part of out imagination.
"Smiling broadly they stand side-by-side like twinned equals and close enough for their arms to be touching. Harry's smile looks especially cheerful here and with his hand also placed close to his brother's on the back of the bench there are no body language clues from either of the Sussex's that this was anything other than a joy to experience."
She added: "Charles is central to this pose and very much in the role of patriarch and affectionate grandpa, while Camilla's active bonding rituals with little Charlotte, who looks relaxed and happy nestling beside her, is clearly a world away from the 'wicked stepmother' hint in Harry’s book."
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