Prince Harry knows exactly when to step back and let Meghan Markle shine.
On Wednesday, April 23, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived together at the TIME100 Summit. But while Meghan effortlessly slipped into her celebrity persona, Prince Harry took on more of a supportive role, according to a body language expert.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, Judi James claimed Meghan “very much [took] the lead” during the couple’s New York appearance, while Harry “lurks behind” in what she described as a supporting role.
“Whether Harry’s leading or lurking here, he appears to be in the role of ‘spare,’ displaying some awkward-looking body language poses while a more assured Meghan takes the starring role,” she said.
James pointed to Meghan’s confident greeting of guests and her signature “celebrity wilt” gesture — hands hanging from bent wrists — as signals of her elevated status.
“It suggests a form of specialness,” she explained. “I don’t need my hands as I have people to open my doors and tow me along.”
Meanwhile, Harry waited his turn, standing stiffly with his jacket hanging open and a noticeably more serious expression.
“His chest might be splayed, but the way his knees are bent in a ‘frog’s-leg’ position creates an air of awkwardness,” James noted, adding that even during their exit, Harry seemed to unintentionally direct the spotlight back to Meghan.
Though Harry sat supportively in the crowd during Meghan’s panel, James said it was the former actress who “worked the cameras,” and ultimately came off as the “star arrival.”