Despite her previous career as a successful actress, it seems Meghan Markle is not as comfortable on stage as a royal.
On two separate occasions Meghan has found herself ‘stuck in the middle’ while on stage presenting awards at the polo.
Body language expert Judi James analysed both videos and said they reveal much about her personality and her desire to ‘lead the choreography’ at public events.
The former actress played Rachel Zane in the US legal drama Suits for seven seasons before leaving Hollywood behind to marry Prince Harry in 2018.
But in recent years, some royal observers have pointed out that the Duchess seems to have the starring role in the relationship, spearheading their business ventures.
The first cringe-inducing encounter happened in May 2022, when the Duchess was on hand to present Prince Harry and his polo team, Los Padres, with a trophy after they won an event at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club.
The prize-giving had clearly not been rehearsed and Meghan ended up being squashed between Harry and one of his teenage teammates as they struggled to lift the heavy cup over her head for a photo.
After a few seconds in the shadows at the back, Meghan, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, stepped to the front of the stage for her moment in the spotlight.
Meghan and Harry at the Royal Salute Polo Challenge at The USPA National Polo Center in Wellington, Florida, in December 2024
Meghan, Harry and his team are pictured at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club after Harry’s side Los Padres won the Lisle Nixon Memorial trophy in May 2022
Footage of the 2022 polo encounter was shared online at the time by a Twitter user who noted it looked like they ‘didn’t know where to put her’ and then ended up ‘blocking her with the trophy’
According to Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, who is estranged from his daughter, ‘she wants to be the star of the stage and the star in life‘.
This was apparent from a young age when she would star in school performances and expressed a desire to be a film actress.
Footage of the polo encounter was shared online at the time by a Twitter user who noted it looked like they ‘didn’t know where to put her’ and then ended up ‘blocking her with the trophy’.
Analysing the video, the body language expert said Meghan was directed to Harry’s other side and her ‘small polite bounce or little hop into place’ suggested she was happy to take direction herself when necessary, adding: ‘No signs of any “total control” tendencies’.
But Ms James continued: ‘She does seem to remain in some form of “control” mode though, gesturing Harry forward to pick up the cup and tapping the player next to her on the arm to apparently alert him too.
‘Meghan attempts to take the wooden box, likely Champagne, from the hands of the other player, but he refuses to let go.
‘Presumably, she is taking it from him so his hands are free to lift the trophy, but it shows her natural-looking tendency to take the lead.
‘As the trophy is raised, Meghan is pushed to the rear and squashed under the cup, needing to hold her large-brimmed hat until she manages to move forward to perform some seal-claps of congratulation.’
Despite her previous career as a successful actress, it seems Meghan – pictured as Rachel Zane in Suits – is not as comfortable on stage as a royal
Body language expert Judi James said: ‘Meghan attempts to take the wooden box, likely Champagne, from the hands of the other player, but he refuses to let go’
‘As the trophy is raised, Meghan is pushed to the back and squashed under the cup, needing to hold her large-brimmed hat until she manages to move forward to perform some seal-claps of congratulation,’ says Ms James
As seen in the clip, Meghan then moved herself in to the middle of the stage, ready for the trophy photo.
Harry appeared to be telling his younger teammates, who were both 16, how the moment should unfold when the team’s captain, Nacho Figueras, a longtime friend of the Sussexes, reached over and lifted the trophy above his head and passed it to Harry.
The prince then told his young teammates to ‘hold it’.
But the commotion meant Meghan was pushed to the back of the stage.
The mother-of-two clapped in the shadows before stepping forward again into the spotlight, going under Harry’s arms.
It came just before the Duke and Duchess were to jet off to London for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend.
And two years later, Meghan was caught in another awkward moment in Florida at the Royal Salute Polo Challenge to benefit Sentebale, a charity founded by Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to support children in Lesotho and Botswana.
Ms James, who said the crowded stage made the ‘pose set-up very awkward’, pointed out that Meghan was already in an awkward spot behind the cup when the charity’s chair, Dr Sophie Chandauka, stepped on stage.
In April 2024, Meghan was caught in another awkward moment at a polo event in Florida
Meghan and Harry at the Royal Salute Polo Challenge to benefit Sentebale, a charity founded by the prince and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to support children in Lesotho and Botswana
Ms James said the crowded stage made the ‘pose set-up very awkward’, pointed out that Meghan was already in an awkward spot behind the cup when Dr Sophie Chandauka (centre) stepped on stage
She continued: ‘As the charity boss walks up onto the stage, she appears to hold out her hands in an intentional gesture as though expecting to help Harry lift or hold it.
‘Harry moves back to create some space and the other player lets go of the cup and at this point it looks like it is anyone’s guess who is going to end up holding it.
‘Meghan moves towards Harry and she seems to motion the other player away to create a gap for the charity boss, holding her arm out in a gesture of invitation.
‘Meghan beckons again and the third woman also seems to hold her hand out to display the gap. The cup-holding is looking more awkward by then and the charity boss has to duck underneath it to get to the spot Meghan has made for her.
‘She does end up right behind the cup though and the women all put their arms around each other to create a friendly pose as Meghan gazes up at Harry.’
Ms James concluded: ‘A lot depends on whether the viewer likes Meghan or not and whether she was seen by the others as having the “right” to be up there directing the pose or not’.
Most recently it was alleged the polo event was gatecrashed by Meghan along with tennis star Serena Williams and a Netflix crew in tow.
The footage of Meghan and Dr Chandauka with Harry at the centre has been watched millions of times online, but is being viewed again in a new light after Dr Chandauka’s bombshell interview with Sky News where she discussed the notorious clip.
It has been alleged that the polo event was gatecrashed by Meghan with tennis star Serena Williams and a Netflix crew in tow
A group photo of the polo team with the Duchess of Sussex the Duke of Sussex taking centre stage
Meghan had caused ‘disruption’ on a very crowded stage after turning up at short notice and bringing her ‘very famous friend’ Serena Williams, the chair of Harry’s charity claimed
Meghan had caused ‘disruption’ on a very crowded stage after turning up at short notice and bringing her ‘very famous friend’ Serena Williams, the chair of Harry’s charity claimed.
Dr Chandauka also called their brand ‘toxic’, accusing Harry of ‘harassment and bullying at scale’ – a claim that is denied .
She also claims that, prior to the charity event in April 2024, Meghan confirmed she would not be attending. But she then arrived with her tennis legend friend.
Speaking to Sky News’s Trevor Phillips, Dr Chandauka recalled the events of the chaotic event, telling him: ‘We would have been really excited had we known ahead of time [Meghan was coming], but we didn’t.
‘And so the choreography went badly on stage because we had too many people.
‘The international press captured this, and there was a lot of talk about the Duchess and the choreography on stage and whether she should have been there and her treatment of me.
‘Prince Harry asked me to issue some sort of a statement in support of the Duchess, and I said I wouldn’t.
‘Not because I didn’t care about the Duchess, but because I knew what would happen if I did so, number one. And number two, because we cannot be an extension of the Sussexes.’
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said Meghan’s unexpected appearance at the event ’caused confusion’, describing the incident between the Duchess and Dr Chavunduka onstage as ‘awkward’
The Duke of Sussex with Sentebale chairwoman Sophie Chandauka during the Royal Salute Polo Challenge
Meghan was filmed asking Dr Chandauka not to stand next to the duke at the trophy presentation.
The former actress could be seen in video footage from Hello requesting that Dr Chandauka move to another spot in the group, insisting that she be in the middle of the huddle next to her husband.
Moments before, Meghan had kissed her husband to celebrate his win.
In the footage from April 2024, Dr Chandauka, who was standing on the Duke’s right, was asked twice by Meghan to move to her left away from Harry, as he kept his arm around his wife.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said Meghan’s unexpected appearance at the event ’caused confusion’, describing the incident between the Duchess and Dr Chandauka onstage as ‘awkward’.
It seems that despite Meghan having a successful career as an actress, she is much less comfortable presenting on stage beside her husband.
Her ‘desire to lead’ as noted by the body language expert seems to have carried through from her childhood and acting career – which is not always the right move when sharing the stage with others.
