Meghan Markle sought ‘support and strength’ from her husband Prince Harry as she spoke about her experiences with suicidal thoughts, according to body language expert Judi James.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have today launched a campaign aimed at tackling child safety online, with the Duchess revealing she “only scratched the surface” of speaking out about her mental health in her now-infamous interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021.
Speaking to CBS’ Jane Pauley today, the Duke and Duchess spoke about suicide as they announced The Parents’ Network alongside mothers and fathers who have lost their children to suicide due to a lack of online protection.
As Meghan said, I was hoping to discuss Her own mental health in 2021 will help others suffering from suicidal thoughts, she put her hand on Harry’s knee.
Speaking to FEMAIL, body language expert Judi James explained: “This gesture could have more than one purpose. It appears to be a search for support and strength from Harry as he shares his own experience of ‘suicidal thoughts’.”
Meghan put her hand on Harry’s leg as Jane Pauley asked him about his experience with suicidal thoughts.
‘But there’s a wariness in the tilt of Harry’s head and the way he looks at his wife’s face that could mean she touched him as a reassuring sign to let him know she’s OK talking about her “healing journey.”‘
Judi also noted that when the couple meets their grieving parents, they offer them “deeply warm greeting hugs, like those we normally see shared between close family members.”
‘There’s rocking together, which registers the delight of seeing someone after time apart and we also get to see back rubs and caresses that make (Meghan’s) hugs comforting and supportive to the parents in their grief.’
‘Meghan walks in to meet the grieving parents first, while Harry is a step behind and we can see his continuing tendency for the kind of deeply warm greeting hugs we normally see shared between close family members.
Meghan’s “announcement gestures” to show the recipient what hug is coming are clear and complete. Her voice rises as she raises both arms up and out before pressing her torso to her torso and wrapping both arms around her while resting her chin on her shoulders.
‘There is rocking together, which registers joy at seeing someone after time apart, and we can also see back rubs and caresses that make their hugs comforting and supportive to the parents in their grief.
Harry and Meghan were pictured hugging parents from The Parents’ Network as they met in person for its launch.
She added that Harry acts more “macho” and “overly tactile”.
‘Harry’s announcement ritual is a macho slap-down that turns into equally effusive hugs, though he is distinctly more politely stiff and cautious when he leans in to embrace his interviewer, Jane Pauley.
‘Harry and Meghan themselves are less tactile than usual, but overly tactile behaviour between a couple can create an air of exclusivity, although in this film it is clear that strong emotions of tragedy, suffering or pain are shared equally.
‘When the couple sit together for the interview, there is a greater spatial distance between them than usual and Meghan is elegantly regal, with her legs crossed and leaning forward, while Harry’s knees are separated so that it is only their knees that appear to be touching.
‘Harry tends to look away with a blank or thoughtful expression while Meghan speaks and while his non-verbal cues suggest empathy, charm and warmer emotions as he smiles coyly when talking about his children, looking down with a ‘squeaky’ vocal tone to suggest how in love she is, Harry is more verbally ‘disruptive’ here, interrupting and switching at a quicker, more professional pace as he speaks in the emphatic manner of a pundit, using illustrative hand gestures on almost every word, even mimicking the shape of a steeple when talking about ‘under your own roof’.
“Their key moment of contact is made more dramatic by this prior ‘no touch’ behaviour. As the interview turns to Meghan’s own ‘suffering’, we see her right arm extended as her hand rests on Harry’s leg.
The video also included a clip of Meghan hugging her grieving parents.
Meghan first said she spoke about suicidal thoughts while a royal in an explosive interview with Oprah in 2021.
‘This gesture could serve more than one purpose. It seems like a search for support and strength from Harry as he shares his own experience of ‘suicidal ideation’, but there’s a wariness about the tilt of Harry’s head and the way he looks at his wife’s face that could mean she’s using the contact as a reassuring signal to let him know she’s fine here talking about her ‘healing journey’ – despite telling Pauley she ‘didn’t expect it’ but would ‘take the hit’ to help others.
The campaign, which carries the slogan #NoChildLostOnSocialMedia, includes a video posted on the Foundation’s website featuring parents who have lost their children to suicide due to online harm.
Meghan also spoke about her own experience with her children, Archie and Lilbet.
“Our children are young, three and five years old, they are amazing, but all we want to do as parents is protect them,” the Duchess said.
“And as we see what’s happening in the online space, we know there’s a lot of work to be done there and we’re happy to be able to be part of a change for the better.”
When the announcer adds ‘you hope that when your children ask for help, someone is there to give it to them’, the Duke adds only ‘if you know how to help’.
“We’ve reached a point where almost every parent has to be a first responder,” she said. “And even the best first responders in the world wouldn’t be able to spot the signs of a possible suicide. That’s the scary part of it all.”
Responding to host Jane Pauley saying it was a “modest beginning,” Meghan added: “You have to start somewhere. Anyone watching this or anyone who can make a change needs to look through the lens of ‘what if this was my son or daughter?'”
“Your son or daughter comes home happy, whom I love, and one day, right under my roof, our whole life changes because of something that is completely out of my control. And if you look at it as a parent, there’s no other way to look at it than to try to find a solution.”
For confidential assistance in the UK, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit www.samaritanos.org For more details, in the U.S. call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255).
