Experts observing the service of thanksgiving for the Queen at St Paul's Cathedral claim that Prince William and his brother Harry appeared virtually to ignore each other in signs that their relationship was further apart than ever.
The Duke of Sussex seemed to receive the "opposite of an acknowledgement" as the Prince passed by him at the Platinum Jubilee event, Harry and wife Meghan Markle's first public appearance for a royal event since stepping down as senior royals in 2020.
The siblings seated themselves as far apart as possible and were not seen interacting or even standing next to one another during the service. One body language expert, Judi James, told the Mirror that the Duke of Cambridge even adopted a "barrier gesture" as he and wife Kate walked past the pew where his brother sat, so there could not even be an acknowledgement between the pair.
Judi James said: "So far there have been no ‘moments’ between the brothers to signal acknowledgement or a hint of any restoration of their friendship. Harry looked firmly resigned to the back row here, and was not sitting behind his brother as he was for the last service of remembrance."
However, she added that the expression on the face of the younger of Prince Charles's two children did suggest some closeness with other members of the Royal family as he joked with Zara when he looked for his chauffeured car upon leaving the cathedral. And earlier he did throw a wide, open-mouthed grin in her direction from the pews, but otherwise he fell into "a haunted eye expression with some rapid blinking to suggest inner anxiety, leaning in and down to Meghan when she spoke as though keen for some support from her".
Judi James added: "There was the opposite to an acknowledgement from William as he walked past Harry’s row during the parade out of the service. Sucking in his lips and with his chin pulled up in a gesture of resolve he appeared to turn his head in the other direction for a moment, raising his order of service high in a barrier gesture."
She also noted that Meghan used a small touch on his back as what looked like the only other PDA than their signature hand clasp."
Body language expert Darren Stanton said in a recent article in The List: "Meghan is very protective of Harry. There have been many occasions where she has sensed if Harry is feeling uncertain or lacking in confidence and she'll react with a gesture to reassure him. You'll notice at times Meghan will place the flat of her hand on Harry's back or touch his elbow — both are to show affection and to let him know that she is there to support him."
Much has been made of the rift between William and Harry with their frosty relationship reportedly sparked by William's concerns over Harry's fast-developing relationship with Meghan ahead of their royal wedding in 2018. The tension quickly boiled over when Harry, during a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey after quitting as a senior royal, claimed his brother was "trapped" within the royal system.
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