PARENTAL GUIDANCE
‘Uncomfortable’ Meghan Markle is ‘awkward’ as she discusses rift with estranged dad Thomas, body language expert reveals
MEGHAN Markle looked “uncomfortable” as Oprah Winfrey quizzed her about her estranged dad, a body language expert revealed.
The Duchess of Sussex opened up about her relationship with her father Thomas and said she was left feeling crushed when he lied to her about not talking to the media.
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It is the first time Meghan has publicly discussed her dad, who she has not spoken to since before her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018, and body language expert Judi James says the subject appeared to have got her back up.
Speaking to Fabulous Digital, Judi explains: “This ‘no holds barred’ interview suddenly shows signs of hitting the buffers when Meghan is quizzed on the subject of her father.
“Her elegant pose remains in place and for a moment she looks down at her hands on her lap before raising them both in a splayed, spiked gesture that suggests tension as she speaks about the ‘media frenzy’.”
Judi says that Meghan’s body language suggested that she didn’t wish to touch on the subject.
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She continues: “Meghan uses some sweeping hand gestures to suggest pushing the subject away and when Oprah tries to re-direct her anger from the press to her father by asking ‘Did it feel like betrayal?’
“Meghan displays what looks like an awkward moment of discomfort and deliberation as she pauses in silence for nearly ten long seconds.
“Her deliberations seem to be about discussing her father at all as she finally says she is ‘trying to decide if I’m comfortable’.
It comes as:
- Meghan claimed Kate made HER cry in row over flower girl dress
- Harry and Meghan married three days before their wedding at Windsor Castle
- Meghan said Archie wasn't made a prince after talks about his skin colour
- Pregnant Meghan revealed she is expecting a GIRL
- The 39-year-old told Oprah the Queen was 'always wonderful to me'
- Prince Harry said his brother is 'trapped' in the Royal Family
- A body language expert revealed Harry 'suppressed anger' when talking about being hurt by his family
- Meghan was apparently left gutted when the Queen would not let her and Harry live in a wing at Windsor Castle
- Archie's favourite word is 'hydrate' the proud parents revealed
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“There is another pause for almost six seconds plus an eye cut-off, which is odd as it would be easy to assume that a ‘no holds barred’ interview would be guaranteed to include questions about troubled relationships with families on both sides.
“In the end Meghan displays some pain over a thought about Archie.
“Her hand flutters across her mouth and her eyes dip again in a cut-off. There is a rapid blink rate as Samantha is mentioned, suggesting suppressed irritation as she describes herself tellingly as ‘An only child’.”
Thomas, an ex-Hollywood lighting director, has spoken about her daughter’s relationship publicly and described their decision to walk away from the royals as embarrassing.
Their relationship soured in the run-up to their 2018 Windsor Castle wedding, when he admitted agreeing to stage pictures of himself.
Meghan was asked if it felt like a “betrayal” when she found out her dad was working with the Press, and replied: “I’m trying to decide if I'm comfortable even talking about that."
“It was... if we were going to use the word betrayal.”
Meghan added: “Because when I asked him, when we were told by the comms team, this is a story that was going to be coming out, which, by the way, the tabloids had apparently known for a month or so and decided to hold until the Sunday before our wedding because they wanted to create drama, which is also a really key point in all this.
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“We called my dad and I asked him and he said, no, absolutely not.
“I said, you know, the institution has never intervened for anything for us, but they can try to go in and kill this story.
“But if they do this once, we're not going to be able to use that same leverage to protect our own kids one day.”
Oprah then said: “He said no, absolutely not. He hadn't been talking to them. So he basically lied to you.”
Meghan added: “Well, and so when I said we won't be able to protect our own kids one day and I said, so I just need you to tell me.
“And if you tell me the truth, we can help. And he wasn't able to do that. And that for me has really resonated, especially now as a mother.”
The broadcast of the interview for UK viewers on ITV tonight is expected to pull in around seven million viewers.
The figure would be less than a third of the 23 million Brits who watched Princess Diana's bombshell interview with Martin Bashir in 1995.
The Princess of Wales infamously told Bashir "there was three of us in this marriage" referring to Prince Charles' affair with Camilla Parker Bowles.
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In other royal news, a body language expert revealed how "protective" Harry struggled to hide his feelings at the Royal Albert Hall.
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And Meghan was accused of taking inspiration from Wallis Simpson with centre-parted hair & floral dress by Oprah viewers.
Plus Meghan says that the Queen was "always wonderful to her" and she "loved being in her company."
Meghan Markle blasts half-sister Samantha for 'changing her name to Markle' when she married Prince Harry and says she hasn't seen her in 19 YEARS
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