At the Invictus Games ceremony on Saturday night, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle delivered emotional addresses.
The wife, who spoke first, stated that she has never loved or admired the Duke of Sussex more than on this day. Harry is obviously moved by Meghan’s passionate comments and is on the verge of tears as he lands a delicate kiss on her lips.
While the gesture received worldwide acclaim, body language specialist brand considers it ‘groundbreaking’ in the royal family.
She told the Mirror: “As Meghan and Harry do the hand-over of the mic they also perform a kiss that would have been a given in the political world but which is ground breaking in royal terms. It is affectionate but swift, with both smiling proudly as they perform it.
“The problem for Harry is that it appears to knock him sideways emotionally. Watching his wife exit from the stage he stands in overwhelmed-looking silence for 30 seconds as the crowd carries on their applause.
"This is service. This is dedication. And this is the Invictus family."
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex gives a speech at the @InvictusGamesNL opening ceremony before introducing Prince Harry to the stage. pic.twitter.com/L3v6fDucZh
— Omid Scobie (@scobie) April 16, 2022
“The astonished quiet is mutually advantageous since spectators only cease clapping when the mike is raised to the lips, and Harry looks to be too close to tears to do so for the entire 30 seconds.”
“This is an uncommonly emotional performance by Harry, who has been seen marching out onto world stages with the cocky assurance of a rock conference MC.” Instead, he tilts his flushed face to the side, wiping the side of his nose with his knuckles in what appears to be a partial cut-off to conceal his emotion.
“His eyes are sorrowful, his tongue protrudes from the corner of his lips, and he stares down, as if he is crying.”
“Harry rubs his own palm as if attempting to motivate himself, but his effort at a grin results in a lip-clamp with tearful-looking eyes.” He rocks from one foot to the other in a self-comfort routine before making a double thumbs-up motion, implying that, contrary to the rest of his body language, he is OK.
“This is dramatic and emotional material, and his behaviour begs the question, ‘Why the tears?’
“Harry has been doing similar events for years, but without these outpourings of passion.” Was it the pandemic’s respite, or Meghan’s passionate introduction, which featured lines like ‘I could not love and respect him more’? Was it the encounter with his father and grandma on the way to the airport?
