Stepping out through the net curtains and on to the central balcony of Buckingham Palace has been a royal rite of passage for generations.
Just three weeks after marrying Prince Harry, the Duchess of Sussex beamed as she made her balcony debut at Trooping the Colour on June 9, 2018. But Meghan looked far less confident as she stood on the same spot for the final time a year later.
Having given birth to her first son Prince Archie less than a month prior to Trooping the Colour on June 8, 2019, which marked the late Queen’s 93rd birthday, the Duchess wore a navy short-sleeved dress by Givenchy and a matching hat by Noel Stewart as she stood in front of her husband.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, body language expert Judi James said this positioning would have made her feel ‘nervous’, ‘isolated’ and as though ‘she’d lost her wing man’.
‘It placed him out of sight from her when it came to taking non-verbal cues to help her “get it right”,’ she said.
Coverage of the event shows the royals chatting amongst themselves, with Harry turning away from Meghan to speak to someone on his left. His aunt, Sophie Wessex, cousin Lady Louise Windsor and Princess Eugenie‘s husband Jack Brooksbank were all standing nearby.
Meghan then turns to speak to her husband, with Judi explaining that she may have been ‘looking for a friendly face’ during the high-profile appearance and seeking to join in on ‘some of the small-talk the others, including Harry, were engaging in’.
But instead of comforting his wife with ‘a loving smile’ and explaining that she should not turn her back on the thousands of well-wishers gathered at Buckingham Palace, Harry appears to snap at Meghan and tell her off as though she were a ‘naughty kid’.
In the clip, the Duchess appears to say something to her husband, prompting a brief reply from Harry.
At the time, MailOnline’s lip reader confirmed he said: ‘Yes, that’s right,’ as if answering her question.
After half-turning to face the front, Meghan swings around once more, at which point Harry seemingly snaps: ‘Turn around.’
When she continued to look at him, Harry added: ‘Look,’ while nodding pointedly towards the front of the balcony.
The national anthem begins to play as the Duchess turns to face the adoring crowds once more.
‘Harry’s body language seems to do little to support or protect her,’ Judi said.
‘He should have been the one royal responsible for hosting his wife in the UK and helping her navigate her way through the royal protocol rules.
‘Instead, when she turns, his expression seems to remain impassive and at the second turn he appears to enforce royal protocol with a meaningful and rather authoritative eyebrow flash.’
As the Duchess turns away from her husband, she appears visibly unhappy.
‘Meghan was a successful, confident woman,’ Judi said. ‘The gesture from Harry seems to look more like the way you might urge a naughty kid.
‘Her facial expression looks unhappy as she turns. Her checking rituals suggest she is clearly trying to get it right but might prefer a kindly loving smile rather than the warning raise of the eyebrows here.’
After analysing the awkward footage, the body language expert said: ‘It’s hard to not feel some sympathy for Meghan here.
‘She is still new to The Firm and the balcony moments are the most formal and globally visible appearances of the Royal Family en masse.
‘Standing high on a balcony while the public watch and cheer from below traditionally emphasises the superiority and higher-class status of the royals, which is why they often go to great lengths to ensure they “get it right.”‘
Judi added: ‘Even William has famously been told off by the [late] Queen for bending while on the balcony to talk to his small son, so the pressure on Meghan, who was the one sparking everyone’s interest and fascination at this stage, was intense.’
In 2016, the late Queen was seen tapping the then Duke of Cambridge on the arm as he crouched down to tend to a boisterous Prince George.
Close examination of the moment appears to show the late monarch saying: ‘Stand up William’ – with her words made ever more clear with an upward motion hand gesture.
William, the future King, then rose to his feet, looking rather sheepish. It seems you are never too old or important for a telling off from your gran.
Trooping the Colour in 2019 would mark Meghan’s final appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
The Sussexes officially stepped down as working royals in 2020, only returning to the UK in 2022 to introduce their children Archie and Lilibet to the late Queen.
