Prince Harry and Meghan Markle last interacted with the Royal Family during the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
Although they were welcomed to mourn the loss of Harry’s grandmother, the couple was noticeably distanced from the rest of the family.
This was particularly evident when they were photographed descending a staircase at Buckingham Palace shortly after the Queen’s passing.
Body language expert Judi James, speaking to the Mirror, noted the sense of alienation as Prince Charles walked ahead, seemingly unaware of his younger son and daughter-in-law following behind.
There was no visible sign of familial closeness or communication, but the non-verbal cues were powerful.
While Harry held Meghan’s hand to display their bond, his emotional connection seemed to be with his father.
Charles appeared solitary, his head bowed in grief, while Harry’s tilted head and furrowed brows suggested he silently shared that grief with his father.
During the funeral service itself, James observed that Harry and Meghan were seated directly behind Charles and Camilla.
Historically, being positioned at the back leaves one vulnerable to potential attacks, which is why people often refer to those closest to them as having their back.
This seating arrangement could have been a display of trust in Charles’s emotions toward his son, despite previous comments and claims.
It provided Harry the opportunity to witness his father’s vulnerability caused by grief up close, possibly serving as an olive branch in their relationship.
While the shared grief presented a potential chance for reconciliation between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family, James believes that the subsequent release of their Netflix docuseries and Harry’s memoir, “Spare,” made that possibility even more remote.
Currently, there seems to be a possibility of reconciliation between Harry and Charles.
However, the relationship between Harry and his brother, Prince William, remains strained.
