Kate Middleton may have struggled to keep things strictly cordial with Meghan Markle, according to a body language expert. The Princess of Wales appeared visibly irritated during a joint appearance with the Duchess of Sussex, suggesting tensions between the two women may have been apparent early on.
During the now-famous “Fab Four” charity engagement, where Kate and Meghan were joined by their husbands, Prince William and Prince Harry, cameras captured a moment that hinted at underlying friction. Kate was seen clenching her fist and appearing uncomfortable as the group discussed their shared charitable work.
Body language expert Judi James told The Sun that the signs of strain were clear even then. “We knew there were four of them, but they weren’t very fab together at all,” she said. “This is pretty much the first sign that we saw that it’s not going to work.”
James explained that the dynamic between the couples reflected contrasting personalities and working styles. “Kate being Kate, sitting back in her seat, very elegant, very quiet, very softly spoken, and again working at that royal pace here,” she said.
According to James, the Prince and Princess of Wales had already invested time and energy into the charity project, approaching it in their usual steady, deliberate manner. “She and William had already been working on this charity and these charities, they’d spent a lot of time on them, but it was slowish, you could hear from the way that they were talking, very much in the royal way of being slow and thorough, etc,” James explained.
However, Meghan’s approach was markedly different. “Then the camera went over to Meghan, and she went at warp speed. She presented this most amazing CV,” James said, describing how Meghan’s enthusiasm and self-assuredness stood out from traditional royal behavior.
“She wasn’t like most royal brides, where you’re very demure and submissive, etc,” James noted, adding that Meghan’s confident presence may have caught Kate off guard. “Kate would have thought, ‘Oh, this actually was our project, but you’re a little bit taking it over.’”
The so-called “Fab Four” event was originally seen as a symbol of unity among the two royal couples, but the footage later became emblematic of the growing divide within the family.
While both couples have since taken separate paths—with Meghan and Harry stepping back from royal duties—their brief time working together continues to attract analysis from royal watchers, who see that early event as the first public sign that harmony within the group might never have been possible.