Meghan Markle was an actress before joining the royal family. A body language expert says this is likely the reason she has a more “communicative eye expression” than Kate Middleton. Here’s what the expert had to say about the different ways Meghan and Kate communicate.
Meghan Markle has a more ‘communicative eye expression’ than Kate Middleton
Body language expert Judi James says Meghan and Kate use similar gestures during public events, but they communicate differently when it comes to eye expressions. Meghan tends to be more expressive with her eyes than Kate.
“The women do have some very subtle but powerful differences in their body language habits when appearing in public, though and the biggest difference tends to come from their eyes,” Judi tells Express. “Kate tends to play it straight with her eye expressions, creating a regal effect rather than a series of individual-looking connections.”
James says Kate reveals little with her eyes, which is the exact opposite of what Meghan does. The Duchess of Sussex uses her eyes to “talk to the camera,” according to James. “Meghan will tend to use a more directly communicative eye expression that ‘talks’ to the cameras, appearing to engage us in a more one-to-one communication,” says James.
Meghan Markle’s communication style is like Princess Diana’s says body language expert
James compares Meghan’s style of communicating with the late Princess Diana. She says Diana often used her eyes to convey different messages when greeting the public.
“These eye tie-sign signals are a trait that Diana used frequently to bypass the normal formality of being royal and to seem to share jokes, thoughts and moments direct with the public,” James tells Express. “Meghan’s years as an actress will have helped develop this eye communication trait as she will have been used to picking out the cameras and very relaxed at ‘speaking’ straight into them.”
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Kate on the other hand, doesn’t have this background. Her instinct is most likely to try to behave as if the cameras are not there, rather than playing to them, according to James.
The body language gesture Kate and Meghan demonstrate with William and Harry
Although Kate and Meghan differ when it comes to eye communication, they are similar when it comes to the gestures they make with their spouses. James says both women are “maternal” when around their husbands.
Kate is usually reserved when it comes to showing affection. James says this is likely because she must follow royal protocol (she sometimes breaks protocol during royal events). However, she has been more affectionate with William lately. One example is during the Earthshot Prize Awards when she gave Prince William pats on the back.
James says both Meghan and Kate practice this patting gesture, which can be interpreted as a “maternal” display. James says Meghan does this back-patting gesture spontaneously. Since the duchess is no longer a working royal, she doesn’t have to be as formal as before.
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