Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were greeted by fans as they stepped out together in Nottingham on Thursday (October 15), marking the couple's first joint engagement since returning to the UK in August. As the Duke and Duchess of Sussex interacted with the crowd, a body language expert noticed Harry displaying a familiar habit she had observed in him before.
Body Language Expert Notes Harry's Unease
While some might assume Meghan, who was apparently emotional at the event, would be the more nervous of the pair, Beth Dawson believes Harry showed more signs of unease during the public appearance. She exclusively told us: "What is interesting is Harry’s behaviour. We see him going from side to side and moving quite quickly.
"He does not use slow relaxed movements and he is repeatedly wiping his palms against his trousers," she observed. "This tells me he might be nervous as either he has sweaty palms, which can occur during stress, or it could be a self-soothing gesture.
"I have seen him do this before and it seems to be one of his habits and go-to gestures when he’s in public," she added. "Although we can't know whether he is actually sweating. What interests me is the possibility that we're seeing a small self-soothing and nervous habit during a very public encounter."
Meghan's Acting Background and a Telling Gesture
Meanwhile, Beth believes Meghan may find it easier to conceal any nerves thanks to her background in acting. "Meghan's background as a trained actress is relevant here, particularly when considering her familiarity with cameras, audiences and public-facing events," she shared.
"Meghan understands the importance of making individual members of a crowd feel acknowledged and she does this well with smiles, handshakes and closeness," Beth added. The expert also believes a gesture Harry made to Meghan during the event was a telling sign about their marriage.
Couple's History and Cotswolds Move
The couple were last seen in Nottingham in December 2017, just four days after announcing their engagement. They tied the knot the following year and have since welcomed two children, Archie and Lilibet. Harry and Meghan stepped back from their senior royal duties in 2020 before relocating to California.
They returned to the UK in August, although they remain non-working members of the Royal Family. The couple are believed to be living in the Cotswolds, a region popular with numerous celebrities, including the Beckhams, Ellen DeGeneres and Princess Anne.
Another famous resident is Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen who recently told us what he believes the locals will think about Harry and Meghan living there. "I think she's going to need to be very genuine," he said. "I think that's the big moment here, is that the Cotswold folk can really sniff b******t, you know, they can really sniff when people aren't being who they are."
He also warned Meghan about the "really very steely females" he claims won't welcome her if she doesn't take his advice. "So I think the Duchess is going to need to not be too much about the airs and graces if she's going to be picking the kids up from the school gates," he added. "I wouldn't want to take them [other Cotswold mums] on, I wouldn't want to p**s them off, I can tell you now."
