Meghan Markle’s ‘dissonance’ with Prince Harry during Brussels outing – exclusive

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle displayed a “certain dissonance” during their visit to Brussels earlier this week, a body language expert has revealed.

The Sussexes were pictured holding hands as they arrived at the Paul-Henri Spaak building at the European Parliament on Tuesday – their first joint overseas outing since returning to the UK in August. 

It made for a united display as Meghan, 45, made her first public appearance since her father, Thomas Markle Snr., was arrested last Friday and charged with possession of child abuse material.

However, body language expert Inbaal Honigman tells HELLO! that there was a “dissonance” between the Duke and Duchess, noting they weren’t “in-step”.

© Samir Hussein/WireImage

She said: “Each of them is employing rather different body language, and they’re moving quite differently to one another.

“When a couple is aligned, and work towards the same goals, their legs would rise and fall together, their faces would turn towards the same sights, and they’d be in step with one another. Meghan and Harry are showing almost none of that.”

For example, Harry’s body language was “closed and protective”, with his hand touching his face and his fingers closing his jacket. Meghan’s, by contrast, was “quite open and casual”, with her hand in her pocket and her eyes open wide.

This could imply that the Duke was seeking to “propose changes and ideas”, while his wife’s “more friendly non-verbal cues suggest that her goal is just to represent”.

Harry and Meghan’s signs of love in Brussels

However, Inbaal emphasised that any “dissonance” does not mean that they are a couple “out of love”.

She adds: “Their hand-holding is warm and loving. They hold hands strongly, comfortingly, in an unmoving, clean and uniform way, which shows that this is their habit, not a demonstration for the cameras. It is safe to assume that they hold hands in private, too.

© Getty Images

“Another thing that the pair have in common is their lowered chins. Their visit to Brussels is a humble one. The couple wants to be able to make a helpful change in the world. They’re not posing; they’re paying attention.”

HELLO!‘s Jack Malvern, who witnessed the outing and went to Brussels, noted that Harry shielded his wife from the cameras. 

When one journalist called out: “Meghan, how are you feeling? How are you coping?” Jack saw Harry clasp the Duchess’s hand tightly. 

You can read more about his first-hand account in our piece for HELLO! VIP members here. 

Harry and Meghan latest

Thomas Markle Snr. was arrested for alleged possession of child sex abuse material last week. He was charged in a court in Florida on Friday.

While Meghan still travelled to Belgium with Harry, she no longer took part in a dual keynote address as she was said to “not be strong enough emotionally”.

© MEGA/GC Images

The couple toured the Lost Screen Memorial, featuring large-scale representations of mobile phone screens showing the faces of 50 children who have died from harm caused by social media.

Harry told the parliament he was there as a “father” and Meghan “as a mother” to support parents who had lost children to online harm.

The couple is parents to Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, who moved with them to the UK in August.