Less than a month into her new role as the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle made her first balcony appearance with the Royal Family for Trooping the Colour.

The event saw the entire family present, including Prince Andrew and Peter Phillips, marking a key moment in Meghan’s entry into royal life.

The Sussexes had returned from their honeymoon in the Mediterranean just in time to attend the event on June 9, 2018.

Under the watchful eyes of the global media, Meghan’s actions were scrutinized for any indications of how well she would integrate into the Royal Family.

A video from the event shows three-year-old Princess Charlotte stumbling, only to be swiftly picked up by Kate, with Meghan seen laughing in the background.

But according to body language expert Judi James, there is more to the moment than it first appears. 

In an interview with the Daily Mail, it was noted that this moment led to social media accusations of Meghan displaying “mean girl” behavior, enjoying someone else’s mishap through her apparent smile or laugh after Charlotte’s minor fall.

Speculation about a bridesmaid-related argument between Meghan and Kate might have fueled these perceptions, but a detailed examination of the body language suggests this incident may not be as it appears.

‘Firstly, there is the perspective to take into consideration. 

‘Meghan is busy chatting to Camilla, meaning she might not even have had a clear view of what happened.

‘Camilla, Meghan and Harry had been laughing and chatting prior to the fall so in many ways, Meghan is just politely carrying on with the mood of the conversation here. 

‘She seems to be taking her conversational leads from Camilla and Harry and, if anything, it’s Harry putting his hand to his face as though masking a laugh or making an aside-style comment here.

‘And then there is a fair point to be made about anyone in the proximity when a child cries,’ Ms James adds. 

‘Smiling is usually a common and thoughtful reaction that can be used to show empathy and care rather than irritation at the noise. 

‘An expression of concern can often be seen wrongly as a scowl of intolerance and women in particular will often smile to show empathy for the mother.’

Previously, a lip reader told the Daily Mail that, despite seeming composed, Meghan was nervous during the event and she let her husband know.

At one point, when Meghan was standing on the balcony, Harry asked Meghan if she was doing OK, to which she replied ‘yeah’.

In a second exchange, Meghan admitted to her husband that she was nervous. The pair looked at each other and the new royal blurted out ‘nervous’ with a smile.

Harry is said to have responded ‘yes’ before smiling.

He added: ‘When you get into it, I’ll tell you more later. Then there’s the flypast and then we all look up to the sky.’

Kate, who, unlike Meghan, has attended Trooping the Colour ever since her first appearance in 2011, stood in front of the new Duchess.

In his tell-all memoir Spare, Harry wrote that everyone was ‘in a good mood, upbeat’ until Kate asked Meghan what she thought of her first Trooping the Colour.

‘And Meg joked: “Colourful.” And a yawning silence threatened to swallow us all whole,’ Harry wrote.

While Trooping the Colour was an annual event for Harry until recently, his wife, Meghan, has only been to two of the parades – in 2018 and 2019.

The main criticism Meghan attracted for her first balcony appearance was her outfit of choice: an off-the-shoulder Carolina Herrera dress in a soft blush pink shade with a matching Philip Treacy hat.

Her shoulder-baring frock broke royal tradition and was a striking departure from the typical demure look normally favoured at such events.

The late Queen, Camilla and Kate were all dressed in coordinated powder blue ensembles, a striking show of unity.

Meghan, however, stood out in her soft pink dress, further solidifying her status as an outsider to royal tradition.

To some insiders, this was more than just a sartorial choice – it was a message. 

Royal women, from the late Queen to Kate, have long adhered to an unwritten but closely followed set of style rules, which dictate appropriate hemlines, sleeve lengths and colour palettes.

The relationship between Meghan and Kate may have already been rocky following a long line of claims about the bridesmaids’ dresses at the Duchess of Sussex’s wedding. 

Early reports in 2018 claimed Meghan had made Kate cry during a row over the dresses.

The Duchess of Sussex later disagreed in her bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview, claiming it was the other way around and adding: ‘She (Kate) was upset about something, but she owned it, and she apologised. And she brought me flowers’. 

Meghan and Harry have not publicly attended Trooping the Colour since 2019.

In 2023, Harry was not invited to the event, with the Palace claiming only working royals would be in attendance. 

Richard Eden, Daily Mail’s diary editor, said in 2023: ‘This is the first year of his life that Harry hasn’t been invited at all. With Harry and Meghan, we’ve always had a sort of “will they, won’t they” before every big royal occasion.

‘Well, it seems like the Palace has tackled that this time by just not inviting them at all. So, you know, it’s significant.

‘When Harry and Meghan quit royal duties, I think officials were very keen to stress that they would still be invited to occasions such as Trooping the Colour so the fact they haven’t been invited is very significant.’

While it is unlikely Harry and Meghan will be seen on the Palace balcony anytime soon, many hope that a reconciliation is on the cards ahead of the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham.

With recent mumblings of a secret peace summit held between Harry and King Charles’ senior aides, there is a hope that the fractured relationship between the Sussexes and the Firm will one day heal.