By Molly Claire Goddard
8:57am PDT, Aug 20, 2025
_
Meghan Markle may have been defiant of royal protocol before she married into the royal family.
According to a body language
expert, the
Suits actress showed early signs she would not be following the status quo during one of her first major events in 2018 with
Prince Harry at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London.
Keep reading to learn what the specialist gleaned from Meghan's appearance…
MORE:
Follow Wonderwall on MSN for more top news
_
Body language expert
Judi James said the outing painted a clear picture of how Meghan Markle would approach royal life after marrying
Prince Harry.
James pointed out how the Duchess of Sussex broke protocol by trying to walk in front of her husband.
In an awkward moment, Harry bumped into Meghan while trying to shake hands with someone before apologizing to his now-spouse.
_
Breaking free from tradition,
Prince Harry ushered Meghan Markle to walk in front of him.
"At the time, this seemed like nothing more than a small body language reset for Harry, who had taken protocol as the norm all his life but who had chosen a U.S. actress and self-proclaimed feminist as his wife, suggesting a desire for change," Judi James explained. "The traditional royal role would be for him to induct his bride into the complicated and archaic choreography of royal life, but what we saw here was the green shoots of Meghan inducting Harry into the etiquette of non-royal life."
_
Judi James said Meghan Markle was confident during the event, while
Prince Harry looked "insecure."
"When there's a misstep, it's Harry who leaps into correction mode, while Meghan always sees her movements through to the end," she noted.
_
Meanwhile, etiquette expert
William Hanson said the breaking of royal protocol by the mother of two and
Prince Harry was out of line.
"From a protocol point of view, Harry should have gone first," he
emphasized. "From a chivalry point of view, it is always preferable to let your spouse or girlfriend go first. So, he wasn't wrong, but he wasn't right either."
