Prince William made ‘barrier gesture’ towards Harry at Jubilee amid rift, expert says

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Prince William and Prince Harry were both at St Paul’s Cathedral today for a service of thanksgiving as part of the second day of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations
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Queen’s Jubilee: Harry and Meghan leave Thanksgiving service
Prince William gave his brother Prince Harry ‘the opposite of recognition’ as they both attended a Jubilee event today, according to a body language expert.
The feuding brothers both attended a service of thanksgiving for the Queen at St Paul’s Cathedral in Harry and his wife Meghan’s first public appearance at a royal event since leaving the monarchy.
Although they reunited at the same event, the pair were seated far apart and were not seen chatting or even standing next to each other.
But despite the distance, body language expert Judi James told the Mirror that William adopted a “barrier gesture” as he and his wife Kate walked past the bench where his brother sat on the way to his seat.
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Judi explained: “So far there have been no ‘moments’ between the brothers to signal recognition or a hint of their friendship being restored.
“Harry looked firmly resigned to the back row here and wasn’t seated behind his brother as he was for the final remembrance service.
“Harry’s expression suggested some relief as he joked with Zara as he searched for his car on his way out and he shot a wide, gaping grin in her direction from the benches, but otherwise he fell into a haunted expression with a bit of a quick blink to suggest inner anxiety, leaning towards Meghan as she spoke as if asking for support.
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“There was the opposite of a recognition of William as he walked past Harry’s row during the parade off duty.
“Sucking his lips and chin up in a gesture of resolve, he seemed to turn his head the other way for a moment, raising his order of duty high in a barrier gesture.”
Meanwhile, Judi noted that Meghan’s appearance was “as perfect as she could have been under difficult circumstances”.
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She said: “Her posture was upright and her smile was designed to appear calm but understated.
“While Harry’s emotions and behavior seemed to oscillate between subdued and anxious moments and odd moments of amusing escapes which felt like another symptom of anxiety or inner tension, Meghan used a little touch on her back like what looked like the only other PDA other than their iconic hand clasp.”
Much has been made of the rift between William and Harry over their frosty relationship which was allegedly sparked by William’s concerns over Harry’s rapidly developing relationship with Meghan ahead of their royal wedding in 2018.
The tense row quickly boiled over – with Harry claiming his brother was ‘trapped’ in the royal system during an explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey after stepping down as a senior royal.
Since leaving the UK in early 2020, Harry has only seen his brother twice before Jubilee celebrations – at Prince Philip’s funeral and at the unveiling of a statue of their late mother, Princess Diana.
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