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Harry and Meghan displayed regal status while visiting LA wildfire victims, expert says: ‘US version of the royals’
A body language expert suggested that Meghan Markle, Prince Harry appeared as the “US version of the royals” when they went to meet victims of the LA wildfire.
A body language expert suggested that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry appeared as the “US version of the royals” when they went to meet victims of the Los Angeles wildfire. On Friday, January 10, the Sussexes visited the Pasadena Convention Center, which has now become an evacuation site for victims of the Eaton fire in Altadena.
Harry and Meghan previously made monetary donations to the relief efforts via their Archewell Foundation. They have now also donated clothing, children’s items, and other essential items to the main donation centre, and reportedly even opened their doors to family and friends who had to evacuate.
‘This seems to have been an immersive experience for Meghan and Harry’
According to prominent body language expert Judi James, the couple displayed a regal status in many of the images taken during their outing. “Meghan is doing some full body hugs here in a ritual of consoling and her facial expression mirrors the sadness the people she’s meeting must be feeling,” James told the Mirror. “Coming on top of some more practical help from the couple there’s a feeling they’re appearing like the US version of our royals.”
Harry and Meghan were spotted exchanging hugs with various people, including families affected by the tragedy. James believes Meghan’s embrace is a “signature” move by the pair.
“This seems to have been an immersive experience for Meghan and Harry although, given their signature body language brand, it was always going to be the ‘consoling’ hugs that would provide the most camera-worthy moments,” James said. “For Harry it will be an urge that is in his DNA as a royal, with attending the location of a disaster and tragedy and just being visible, being part of the job.”
“He seems to be in that mode here, listening to stories and experiences to hopefully reassure and raise morale, but then there is the extra role of some hands-on hugging that has been added to the repertoire more recently,” she added.
James also told the Daily Mail that Harry was “mirroring” his wife’s “tactile” actions during their outing. “We can see Meghan in particular in two body language modes and functions here: firstly what would be termed ‘getting stuck in,’ physically helping out with food distribution and doing so in a way that seems to have rendered herself incognito,” she said.
She added, “The ‘head-down’ body language from Meghan here looks practical rather than performative, implying that the job of distribution is better achieved without a media scrum or being made to stop and talk.”
