Prince Harry and Meghan Markle came back together for a "desperately important re-coupling" after honouring the Queen earlier today (September 14). A body language expert said that their hand holding gesture was very noticeable and one it appeared they needed.
The Queen's coffin left Buckingham Palace for the final time earlier today, before heading to Westminster Hall. Members of the Royal family stood in formation facing the coffin during a 20-minute service which was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury accompanied by the Dean of Westminster.
As reported by The Mirror, The King and Queen Consort stood at the front, followed by the Queen's children, Prince William and his wife Kate, and Harry and Meghan. Once the service was over, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex broke the formation and held hands with a tight grip.
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Judi James, a body language expert, said: "Inside the service the wives joined their husbands, but again the large spatial distances looked deliberate to create an air of formality.
"They all lined behind the coffin with maybe two pace-sized gaps between them an no passing of any glances or non-verbal signals. Andrew stood alone, rigidly to attention.
"As they couples filed out they seemed to keep to this formation apart form Harry and Meghan who moved closer and stretched their arms across the gap to hold hands in a mutual re-linking gesture.
"They used their clasped hands as a method of offering support, comfort and reassurance to each other and, walking behind William and Kate and presumably on the brink of a moment when chat might be near, the re-coupling appeared to be desperately important to them."
It is no secret that Harry and William have had a rocky relationship of late. However, the formation today suggested there may have been a thawing in relations between the brothers, according to Judi.
She explained: "The royals were choreographed as the Red Arrows throughout the procession and service, with the Queen’s children in the front line and William, Harry and Peter Philips walking behind them with a large spatial gap between William and Harry as William walked behind his father and Harry filled the middle gap.
"Peter was not in between the brothers this time, suggesting further thawing of their relationship, but there was no possibility of any communication between them or any of the other royals."
King Charles and his three siblings, Andrew, Anne and Edward and the Queen's grandsons Peter Phillips, William and Harry escorted the late Queen's coffin from Buckingham Palace. Earlier, Camilla accompanied Kate Middleton in a car to get to the service while Meghan sat in a different car with Sophie, Countess of Wessex.
Read next:
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- Kate wears Queen's brooch and Diana's earrings at lying in state service
Queue for Queen's lying in state to stretch for 10 miles as thousands line up
