Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's body language examined

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's body language examined

They have finally announced that they are due to tie the knot after getting engaged earlier this month.

And Prince Harry and Meghan Markle looked the picture of happiness as they took part in their first official photo call at Kensington Palace today - despite the occasional 'nervous' gesture from the shy prince.

Body language expert Judi James tells MailOnline she believes 'informal, confident' Meghan is running the show while offering reassurance to camera-shy Harry, who can be seen to mimic his father's 'anxious' hand gestures.

Harry, 33, and his actress fiancée walked hand-in-hand through the gardens of his the west London residence on Monday, where the couple will set up home in Nottingham Cottage.

And Judi, author of The Body Language Bible, says the redhead prince appeared 'shocked with emotion and affection' while his partner is clearly 'the one with all the confidence'.

'Meghan was the one who rubbed his arm for reassurance twice,' Judi notes. 'He looked terribly shy and slightly awkward and gave "tie sign" – something a lot of Hollywood couples do when they’re on the red carpet to tell their partner when to turn for the camera.'

'It was interesting that Meghan was using little arm rubs with him and patting him. It was almost as though she was choreographing him to say, "Right, we’ll go up the steps and do some more pictures."'

1. Harry's 'paperclip hand' 

Eagle-eyed royal watchers also noticed Harry was making a bizarre hand gesture at certain moments, tucking half of his right-hand fingers into his jacket - something Judi says is a 'comfort' indicator.

'It’s almost like he's using his hand as a paperclip to hold his jacket together,' Judi notes. 'Both he and William can be incredibly shy; but at the same time, Harry looks completely in love and slightly bewildered by it all.'

2. Working the cameras like a pro

While Harry is used to taking part in public engagements, Meghan is a seasoned expert in front of the camera lens thanks to years spent treading the red carpet at glitzy Hollywood events.

'She’s quite grown up and more experienced in front of the camera than he is,' Judi explains. 'Surprisingly, that will probably be quite a good thing for him.

'We’ve seen the [public displays of affection] and we know they love each other because they couldn’t keep their hands off each other at the Invictus Games.

'[Today's photo call] should have been very formal but it was also incredibly tactile.'  

3. The ring

While most royal brides-to-be are keen to show off their engagement ring, Judi notes, Meghan let her diamond dazzler hang casually by her side.

'She’s obviously got a more casual attitude, but I think it’s going to be very good for him,' she says. 'Harry has always been the one who's allowed to be incredibly informal and this is the first time he’s been formal with a partner.

'It will be Harry's first stab at the Buckingham Palace stuff he has been able to cheerfully avoid for most of his life. He’s not naturally good at the formal stuff, but Meghan is good at it because of her job.'

4. Mimicking Charles

'Harry has started to mimic his father’s hand rituals, which are self-comfort gestures,' Judi says. 'Charles often pats his pockets and touches his stomach, and now Harry is doing the same. 

'It shows a lot of admiration for his father, but also a feeling of being slightly nervous and under attack from the cameras.'

5. 'Outstanding' Meghan leading her Prince

As they walked around the garden, Meghan could be seen wrapping a protective arm around her fiancé and tenderly patting his back. 

'The dramatic thing was that she was leading him, just like a professional dancer leading the amateur on Strictly,' says Judi. 'She was leading the choreography rather than him, which is quite outstanding for a royal couple.

'She also has this trait of putting her hands on top of this. The person who does this is normally the one in control – she’s leading the game.' 

6. Easy confidence is a breath of fresh air

'These two are a lot more tactile that your average royal couple,' Judi notes. 'I don’t think she’s going to be overwhelmed by royal protocol. She won’t be putting a foot out of line but she'll be a breath of fresh air for the Royal family.' 

Judi adds: 'They looked incredibly happy. Harry almost looks shocked with emotion and affection. I think we’ll see the two of them very well matched.'