Prince William's 'barrier gesture' to brother Prince Harry at huge royal event

14 November 2023 , 15:56

1102     0

William and Kate put on a united front at the service (Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

All eyes were on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in June of last year when they returned to London to attend a Service of Thanksgiving for the Queen. It was their first royal event since stepping down from their roles - and onlookers were intrigued to see how they would interact with the royal family, in particular Prince William and Princess Kate.

Harry and Meghan were seated inside Westminster Abbey before William and Kate - and, according to an expert, William adopted a "barrier gesture" and ignored his brother as they walked to their own seats.

Body language expert Judi James told : "Harry looked firmly resigned to the back row here and was not sitting behind his brother as he was for the last service of remembrance.

All eyes were on Harry and Meghan as they arrived for the service (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

"Harry's expression did suggest some relief as he joked with Zara as he searched for his car on the way out and he threw a wide, open-mouthed grin in her direction from the pews, but otherwise he fell into a haunted eye expression with some rapid blinking to suggest inner anxiety, leaning in and down to Meghan when she spoke as though keen to get some support."

Judi continued: "There was the opposite to an acknowledgement from William as he walked past Harry's row during the parade out of the service. Sucking in his lips and with his chin pulled up in a gesture of resolve he appeared to turn his head in the other direction for a moment, raising his order of service high in a barrier gesture."

Kate Middleton swears by £19.99 rosehip oil that helps 'reduce wrinkles & scars'

Prince William refused to look in his brother's direction as he left St Paul's Cathedral (Getty Images)

It's no secret that Harry and William are no longer close - in large part because of disparaging remarks Harry and Meghan have made about the royal family. In his tell-all memoir Spare, Harry even alleged that the siblings had a physical confrontation at Nottingham Cottage in Kensington Palace in 2019.

He claims that William had called Meghan "difficult", "rude" and "abrasive" – comments which the younger brother said parroted "the press narrative" about his wife.

"(William) called me another name, then came at me. It all happened so fast. So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor," Harry wrote. "I landed on the dog's bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out."

It's highly unlikely the Sussexes will join the royal family for Christmas (Getty Images)

Harry and Meghan suffered a blow this week when they weren't invited to celebrate King Charles' 75th birthday celebrations. And it's believed the same is true of Christmas - not that they should be surprised, according to one expert.

, Ryan McCormick, the co-Founder of Goldman McCormick Public Relations said: "If you try to make a name for yourself by severing the hand that raised you, don't be surprised when you don't receive invitations from them. In Harry's memoir 'Spare', he calls King Charles' second wife Camilla "dangerous".

"Charles may still be upset by it. Also, he and other members of the Royal Family may not want Harry and Meghan around for fear of being quoted in a future tell-all book."

Gemma Strong