Meghan Markle is not ‘deliberately copying’ Princess Diana claims body language expert

Meghan Markle, 41, has often been compared to the late Diana, Princess of Wales for their struggles in the public eye, fashion and similar life experiences. There is an iconic photo of the Duchess of Sussex closing a car door in September 2018, which some fans compared to a stock photo of Diana.

That’s because there is an almost identical photo of the late princess from 1988, which shows her arriving at the Royal Festival Hall in London wearing a very similar black dress.

Judi James, a professional body language expert spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk about whether Meghan modeled her royal persona on Diana, or if it was just a coincidence.

She claimed: “Meghan was nearly twice Diana’s age when she married Harry and a confident American actress who would have been used to fame and the limelight.

“But Meghan also became vulnerable and this fear of repeating loops clearly terrified Harry.”

According to Judith, Meghan can sometimes make royal fans think she is guilty of “self-conscious mimicry” when it comes to her husband’s late mother.

She suggested: “But apart from the emotional and situational echoes of the past, do moments like this, where Meghan is photographed in a similar outfit and pose to Diana, suggest any conscious mimicry or mirroring?

“Diana could easily have been a role model for Meghan in terms of her touching body language and her warmth, popularity and connection with the public.

“Both women dared to show their emotions in public and both excelled in embracing and more spontaneous behavior.”

DON’T MISS:

However, Judi argues that Meghan probably wanted to “make the best impression as a UK royal”.

She explained: “As an actress who wants to make her best impression as a queen in the United Kingdom, Diana would understandably have a strong subliminal influence when it came to getting it right.”

The act of “deliberate copying” would actually be “difficult”, the body language expert claimed.

Judi commented: “But deliberately copying actual moments for the camera would be difficult and very pointless if they weren’t formally presented portraits.

READ MORE: Queen Maxima loses weight – The Queen lost 10 kilos on the eve of her birthday

“Would the body language similarities really be picked up by the crowds watching Meghan here, most of whom probably weren’t even around when Diana was appearing in public, in a moment that probably took less than a moment to created, ie closing the car door?

“A photo can freeze a pose over time, but that pose would probably have been almost imperceptibly fast in reality.

“To even make sure you’re caught doing it, you’ll probably have to hold the moment for a few seconds, but it looks like it’s captured in motion.

“And even though I covered most of Diana’s appearances at the time, I don’t even remember seeing this photo of her, so deliberately copying it would have been pretty pointless.”

Judi suggests that this moment of similar body language between the two was “probably just a coincidence.”

She added: “We have two iconic, elegant and high-profile women here and body language like this is probably just a coincidence. Royal women like Kate, Diana and Meghan can tend to carry themselves in similar ways in public. because they tend to use similar supports like clutch bags.

“The biggest non-Diana feature here is that outstretched hand. Meghan’s hand is held with a reach towards that raised little finger, like a ballroom dancer.

“It suggests awareness and trying to get royal elegance right. Diana’s hand is less involved, showing a more relaxed approach to all the camera attention that probably came with time and experience.”