Meghan Markle sought “support and strength” from her husband Prince Harry when discussing her experiences with suicidal thoughts, according to body language expert Judi James.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have today launched the campaign, which focuses on child safety online. The Duchess indicated that she was only just beginning to talk about her mental health during her now infamous 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The Duke and Duchess spoke to CBS’s Jane Pauley today about suicide. They announced The Parents’ Network, working with mothers and fathers who have lost their children to suicide due to a lack of online protection.
As Meghan said, she hoped that discussing To ensure her own mental health will not help others suffering from suicidal thoughts in 2021, she placed her hand on Harry’s knee.
Speaking to FEMAIL, body language expert Judi James explained: ‘This gesture could serve more than one purpose. It appears she is asking Harry for support and strength, while sharing her own experience of ‘suicidal thoughts’.
Meghan placed her hand on Harry’s leg as Jane Pauley asked her about her experiences with suicidal thoughts
‘But there is a certain caution about Harry’s head tilt and the way he looks at his wife’s face, which could mean that she [touched him] “As a reassuring sign to let him know that she is okay with talking about her ‘healing journey.’”
Judi also noted that when the couple meets the grieving parents, they give them “deep, warm hugs that we normally only see between close family members.”
‘There is rocking together, which expresses the joy of seeing someone again after a time apart and we can also see back massages and touches that [Meghan’s] comforting and supportive hugs for the parents in their grief.’
‘Meghan is the first to walk in to meet the bereaved, while Harry stands a step further back. We can see that they have a penchant for the kind of deep, warm greetings and hugs that we normally see between close family members.
‘Meghan’s “announcement gestures” to let the recipient know the hug is coming are elaborate and clear. Her voice rises as she throws both arms up and out before hugging her torso and wrapping her arms around herself, resting her chin on her shoulders.
‘They rock together, which expresses the joy of seeing someone again after a time apart. We also see back massages and touches, which make her hugs comforting and supportive for the parents in their grief.
Harry and Meghan were shown embracing their parents from The Parents’ Network as they met in person for the launch
She added that Harry is acting “macho” and “overly tactile.”
Harry’s announcement ritual is a macho slap of the hand that segues into similar, exuberant hugs, though he is noticeably more polite, stiff and cautious as he leans in to hug their 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, whereas 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 distance between them than usual and Meghan looks elegant and regal, with her legs crossed and at an angle, while Harry’s knees are spread so that only their knees appear to touch.
Harry often stares off with a blank or thoughtful expression when Meghan speaks. Her non-verbal cues suggest empathy, charm and warmer emotions, as she smiles shyly when talking about her children and looks down in a cracking voice to indicate how much she is in love. Harry is more verbally ‘disruptive’ here, interrupting her and then switching to a faster, more professional pace, speaking with the emphasis of an expert, using illustrative hand gestures with almost every word and even imitating the shape of a steeple when he refers to ‘under your own roof’.
‘Their key tactile moment is made more dramatic by this earlier ‘hands-off’ behaviour. As the interview focuses on Meghan’s own ‘suffering’, we see her right arm extended as her hand is placed on Harry’s leg.
The video also included a clip of Meghan embracing her grieving parents
Meghan first said she spoke about her suicidal thoughts while she was still a working royal, in a shocking interview with Oprah in 2021
‘This gesture may serve more than one purpose. It seems like a search for support and strength from Harry as she shares her own experience with ‘suicidal thoughts’, but there is a certain wariness about Harry’s tilt of the head and the way he looks at his wife’s face that could indicate she is using the touch as a reassuring gesture to let him know she is okay here to discuss her ‘healing journey’, despite telling Pauley that ‘I didn’t expect it’ but that she would ‘take the hit’ to help others.
The campaign, with the slogan #NoChildLostToSocialMedia, includes a video posted on the foundation’s website, featuring parents who have lost their child to suicide as a result of online violence.
Meghan also spoke about their own experiences with their children, Archie and Lilbet.
“Our children are young, three and five, they are wonderful, but all you want to do as a parent is protect them,” the duchess said.
“And now that we see what’s happening online, we know there’s still a lot of work to be done. We’re glad we can be part of a positive change.”
When the announcer adds, “You hope that when your children ask for help, there’s someone who can give it to you,” the Duke adds only, “If you know how to help.”
“We’re at the point where almost every parent has to be a first responder,” he said. “And even the best first responders in the world wouldn’t be able to recognize the signs of possible suicide. That’s the scary part about it.”
Responding to presenter Jane Pauley who said it was a “humble beginning”, Meghan added: “You have to start somewhere. Anyone watching this or anyone who can affect change has to look at it through the lens of ‘what if this was my son or daughter?’
“Your son or daughter comes home and is happy, and I love them, and then one day, right under my roof, our whole life changes because of something that is completely out of my control. And when you look at that as a parent, there’s no other way to look at it than to try to find a solution.”
For confidential support in the UK, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit www.samaritans.org For more information; In the US, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255).
