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The photos shared to the Instagram account of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, were worthy of a photoshoot. Sitting in muted tones on a plush sage green velvet banquette at the luxury London hotel Claridge’s, the former Suits star beamed alongside human rights advocate and Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai.
A droolworthy afternoon tea sat on matching crockery in front of them – providing precisely the right colour palette to make the snap of them holding hands at the table an eye-catching one.
The reason for the duo’s private – and yet quickly publicised – foray to the celeb-loved haunt in the heart of London’s swanky Mayfair? An announcement from Meghan that, on this year’s International Day of the Girl, 100 per cent of the net proceeds from her As Ever range of jams and teas would support international non-profit organisation the Malala Fund – to help in its mission to ensure “that every girl has access to free, safe, quality education”.
“Tea for Two has never felt so good,” Meghan declared in the caption to her Instagram post, before directing her 4.9 million followers to “shop at asever.com”.
After the luscious tea was done, Meghan – reportedly dressed in a $AU47,000 outfit – bade Malala farewell right on the front steps of the hotel.
By then, it was perhaps little surprise that there were photographers there to capture the moment on camera.
One image showed Meghan – by now wrapped in a snug caramel wrap – look intensely at the education activist who survived a Taliban bullet to the head when she was just 15, her hand placed on Malala’s back.
Another shot showed the Duchess – who returned to Britain with her husband Prince Harry and children Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, in August – wrapping Malala in an embrace.
Now, Australian body language expert Louise Mahler has shared her analysis of the lingering moment with Woman’s Day, explaining that Meghan appears to be striving to show she is caring, thoughtful, compassionate and “deeply concerned about humanity”.
“The problem is that the body language can tell a rather more interesting story,” she says.
“Take the photograph with Malala…Meghan has her arm wrapped firmly around [her], drawing her in for what appears to be a warm and affectionate embrace. Except it doesn’t quite land that way.
“In body language, placing a hand on another’s back can sometimes suggest a subtle power differential. It can be protective and affectionate, certainly, but it can also communicate control,” the expert explains.
“The intense gaze. The downward stoop. The arm stretched dramatically around Malala, with the hand gripping rather than gently resting. It all looks rather more like stage direction than spontaneous affection,” she adds.
Louise goes on to say that – in her opinion – Malala’s body language “tells a different story”.
“Her arm remains firmly attached to her handbag. Her expression appears serious, even slightly furrowed, and at one point she brings her hand to her own chest,” Louise goes on.
“Where is the mutual delight? The relaxed warmth? That wonderful physical synchronisation we see when two people genuinely connect? It is certainly not leaping out of these photographs.”
Louise is at pains to clarify that “body language is not a lie detector”, but she explains, “we can certainly examine the impression being created”.
“The great danger for any public figure is that when every gesture appears rehearsed, even genuine compassion can begin to look like performance,” the expert goes on, adding that it creates a situation where “the public starts watching the choreography rather than hearing the message”.
“And once that happens, trust starts slipping through the fingers of even the most beautifully manicured hand,” she warns.
The expert adds that the impression given by Meghan’s farewell to Malala was of a woman “who understands the power of imagery and is determined to occupy the centre of it”.
“And that is the problem with a performance,” she concludes. “Eventually, the audience stops watching the story and starts looking for the strings.”
