Meghan Markle, 41, stepped down from royal duties in early 2020. But during her time as a working royal, the Duchess of Sussex was photographed with all members of the Royal Family.
Princess Anne, 72, is renowned as the hardest-working royal and for her “no-nonsense” attitude. In 2022, The Princess Royal was the hardest-working member of the Royal Family, carrying out 214 engagements.
In comparison, King Charles who came in second place, carried out 181 royal engagements, 33 less than his younger sister
Therefore, it may surprise royal fans that Princess Anne got on relatively well with Meghan Markle who quit royal duties in 2020, according to a body language expert.
When the Duchess of Sussex attended Princess Eugenie’s wedding in 2018, she sat next to The Princess Royal and the two seemed to be chatting and getting along very well.
The two royal women also chatted together during then-Prince Charles’s 50th anniversary of his investiture as the Prince of Wales.
According to the expert, the relationship between Anne and Meghan “hasn’t really been examined before” but that the “results are surprising”.
“Anne has no real history of embracing, mentoring or even befriending younger royal wives,” Judi suggested.
“Many of her rituals with brides like Diana suggested mild forms of what looked like potential irritation.”
Princess Diana married the former Prince of Wales in 1981, and Sarah Ferguson married Prince Andrew in 1986.
Princess Anne reportedly did not gain a close friendship with either royal bride, according to the expert.
Judi added: “Anne is a fan of stoicism and no real fan of fashion icons or celebrity fame, so a beautiful Hollywood actress with no apparent interest in horses like Meghan might not have been a first choice in terms of instant bonding and rapport.”
However, Judi argues that Princess Anne was able to look past these facts about the Duchess.
She continued: “Meghan turned out to be a lot more than that initial profile.
“Her passion for her causes and her eloquence, plus what looks like a shared sense of humour did throw up some poses where the two women looked genuinely happy in each other’s company.”
Judi described Anne as having a “rounded-cheek, eye-narrowed smile that suggests genuine pleasure”.
Meanwhile, Meghan’s body language was described as “a blend of flatteringly polite and fun-sharingly intimate”.
Judi noted: “Her eye contact and mirroring as they lean in together to chat shows undivided attention.”
The body language expert claimed that when the two women spoke together, “Meghan performs a leg splay and a small hand barrier to show both interest and a degree of polite caution”.
Judi commented: “Meghan’s raised brows and her open-mouth smile in the pews suggests she finds Anne genuinely good company.
“Prince Harry’s animated approach signals he shares his wife’s enthusiasm
