Prince Harry and Meghan Markle appeared in high spirits as they welcomed well-wishers during their first joint public appearance since returning to the UK in August. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in Nottingham this morning to tour the city's Community Recording Studio on the opening leg of their busy schedule of visits.
Community Visits in Nottingham
The couple, who stepped back from their positions as senior working royals and moved to the US in 2020, met musician and poet Jah Digga, who had attended CRS as a youngster, while Meghan participated in a bracelet-making workshop with young girls. Harry and Meghan subsequently visited Himmah Hub, a food-poverty community action group in Nottingham.
Nevertheless, they met fewer than 200 people at their initial stop and about 50 at their second engagement. Charlotte O'Neill had positioned herself outside the CRS hoping to catch sight of the royal pair.
She said: "I came last year to see him, so I just thought, you know what, I'm just gonna come. I brought my friend along. Hopefully, we'll see Meghan as well."
Margaret Langdon was also one of the fans waiting to greet Harry and Meghan. She said: "I'm a big fan. They've come to Nottingham to see us so the least we could do is come out and see them. It's nice to see Meghan, because it's not very often you get a woman of colour in that position. So I've come out to support her."
Body Language Analysis
Those gathered were rewarded when the duke and duchess dedicated 20 minutes ahead of their first engagement, conversing with the crowds and stopping for photographs. Body language specialist Darren Stanton has observed how Meghan appears to have embraced a fresh approach to public engagement, bearing striking similarities to Kate Middleton's characteristically warm and personable style when meeting people.
Speaking to Betfair Casino, Darren said: "Meghan is very good at working the crowd. She's confident, engaging and seems to know exactly how to build rapport with people. One thing I particularly noticed was the way she bends forward to meet people's eye line. By lowering herself slightly, she makes the interaction feel more personal and approachable. It creates a greater sense of connection because she's meeting people on their level rather than looking down at them."
"These are traits we've seen from Catherine, and I think Meghan has adopted a similar style of interacting with the public. It's something I haven't really noticed her doing in the past, so it feels like a relatively new approach. Bending down to meet someone's eye line is a really effective way of establishing rapport and making people feel comfortable in her presence. It's a subtle but important piece of body language, and she's doing it very naturally."
"Her facial expressions are also really telling. The smiles appear genuine, rather than the socially polite or slightly forced smiles. Her whole face is engaged, and her feet remain close together, which adds to the impression that she's comfortable and focused on the people she's speaking to."
Harry's Protective Stance
Darren also noticed that Harry remained by his wife's side throughout the visit, displaying what he described as a "protective" stance towards the duchess. He explained: "Overall, Meghan comes across as confident and capable, while Harry's body language suggests he's looking out for her and making sure she's settled. Once he's reassured that she's doing well, he's happy to give her the space to shine, although those occasional glances back show that he's still keeping a protective eye on her."
"Harry seems very protective of Meghan here. When they get to the vehicle, we see him holding her hand quite tightly and putting his arm around her."
"From a body language perspective, these are clear reassuring gestures, suggesting that he wants to make sure she feels comfortable and supported. Obviously, it's their first engagement back, so anyone can feel a little apprehensive in that situation, but Meghan actually seems totally confident."
"It's clear that Harry absolutely dotes on her. He is besotted with her in the best possible sense, and you can see that he wants to make sure she's okay and feels at ease."
"What's interesting is that Harry appears to stay close and protective until he's comfortable enough to move forward and engage with the crowd himself. Even then, I noticed him glancing back every now and again to check that Meghan is okay. It's almost as though he's making sure she's settled before giving her the space to interact with the public independently."
"Overall, Meghan comes across as confident and capable, while Harry's body language suggests he's looking out for her and making sure she's settled. Once he's reassured that she's doing well, he's happy to give her the space to shine, although those occasional glances back show that he's still keeping a protective eye on her."
