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Meghan Markle stepped out in New York City last week for the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple Of Hope Gala. For the occasion, she wore a beautiful bespoke off-the-shoulder Louis Vuitton gown with a subtle centre-leg slit. But her outfit choice wasn’t what attracted the most attention – it was her demeanour. The Duchess of Sussex oozed confidence, and she displayed a bright wide smile. Express.co.uk spoke to body language expert Judi James about Meghan’s appearance, and whether her “bulletproof smile” has returned.
Back in June when Meghan attended the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Service at Westminster Abbey back, Judi described her smile as “bulletproof”.
The expert explained: “When Meghan was appearing in the UK as part of the royal firm she performed a pitch-perfect royal smile.
“But towards the end of her time in the UK, when she and Harry were clearly under pressure, Meghan produced a ‘bulletproof’ smile.”
Meghan’s ‘bulletproof smile’ refers to “a fixed smile that she amazingly managed to sustain throughout their last few outings, even while Harry was looking anxious and dour”.
“The smile was medal-winning but not convincing as a look of genuine happiness or pleasure,” Judi added.
“There were micro signs of tension around the lips and her head tended to be held straight with a stretched neck.
“The smile was performed rather than aimed at anyone in particular and her eye expression was not a smiling one.”
Judi looked at the photographs of Meghan in NYC and explained: “Her most recent photos in the US show Meghan using what is often called the Duchenne smile, a very natural-looking smile that seems to reflect genuine pleasure or good humour.”
According to Psychological Science, a Duchenne smile is considered the “sole indicator of true enjoyment”.
“Her head is often tilted with this smile and her smile extends to her eyes, which are lit up in a way we hadn’t seen previously.
“Her smile is symmetric and has even extended into a laugh. Here we can see wrinkling at the bridge of the nose and a natural-looking opening of the mouth,” she suggested.
Judi also spoke about Harry’s body language on this occasion and said: “Harry’s poses on the stage show moments of a man loving the attention, both from his audience and of course his wife.
“The haunted gaze has gone and instead we have a man grinning playfully from ear to ear.”
She noted the “alpha leg splay” and said it signalled “feelings of physical and emotional power”.
This was “reinforced by the left hand on his thigh with the elbow poking out in a part-splay ritual”.
Judi explained how “splaying” shows a desire to take up as much space as possible, and to make oneself “look as large, powerful and strong as possible”.
There was a time when Meghan was photographed laughing at her husband, and Judi said “the use of humour is another suggestion of Harry’s confidence here”.
Throughout the dinner, Harry was seen with his hand around Meghan’s shoulder, sometimes resting his hand on her left shoulder.
Meghan also held his hand at one point and Judi said this was a “date-night-style gesture” and provided an “example of his [Prince Harry’s] feeling of power and status”.
The couple attended the gala to accept an award from the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation, a prize that counts Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton among its former recipients.
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