<p id=”par-1_67″>After <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/prince-harry/?swcfpc=1″>Prince Harry</a> and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/meghan-markle/?swcfpc=1″>Meghan Markle</a> announced their decision to step down as working royals in January 2020, it was announced that their final engagement would be the Commonwealth Day Service that March. With <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/prince-william/?swcfpc=1″>Prince William</a>, the Princess of Wales (<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/dont-be-fooled-this-is-what-kate-middleton-was-really-like-in-school.html/”>formerly known as Kate Middleton</a>), and the rest of the royal family also expected to be in attendance, no one was sure what the Sussexes’ sendoff would look like. </p>
<p id=”par-2_79″>When that day came, the tension in Westminster Abbey was on full display for all to see. When William and Kate arrived, Harry and Meghan were already seated. The older prince broke the ice by exchanging “hellos” and pleasantries with his brother and sister-in-law. Kate, however, barely looked at the duke and duchess as she took her seat and ignored them throughout the service, even when she turned around to talk to Prince Edward and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/queen-elizabeth-ii-refused-give-prince-edwards-wife-sophie-wanted-wedding-day.html/”>his wife, Sophie</a>. </p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Members-of-the-royal-family-including-Prince-Harry-Meghan-Markle-Prince-William-and-Kate-attend-the-2020-Commonwealth-Service-1-1.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Members of the royal family including Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince William, and Kate attend the 2020 Commonwealth Service” class=”wp-image-3795382″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Members of the royal family including Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince William, and Kate attend the 2020 Commonwealth Service | PHIL HARRIS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-3_58″>Over the years, lip readers have tried to decipher what else the couples said as they sat there awkwardly during what the world knew was the last time they would share the same space while playing on the same team. But not all lip-reading experts are in agreement with what Willam discussed with Kate during that engagement. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-lip-readers-disagree-on-what-prince-william-and-kate-were-talking-about”>Lip readers disagree on what Prince William and Kate were talking about</h2>
<p id=”par-4_41″>A handful of professional lip readers, including Nick Davies, can’t agree on what the royals said to each other. Davies blames the quality of the video footage from the service as what makes it so difficult to read their lips. </p>
<p id=”par-5_80″>But lip reader Jeremy Freeman told the <a href=”https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/prince-harrys-stinging-remark-criticising-24643435″ target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Daily Star</a> that Prince Harry made a scathing remark to Meghan after his sibling and the princess arrived, saying: “At least they acknowledged, unlike last time.” Freeman then claimed that William appeared to tell Kate, “That was executed well. It’s quite good to connect instead of holding things back like always. I know it’s bad. I ought to have words with him. He’ll shout and God knows what but things’ll change, won’t it?”</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio” id=”emb-2″><div class=”wp-block-embed__wrapper”>
<iframe title=”Meghan Markle, Prince Harry make last royal appearance at Commonwealth Service” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/9HP13CZGfcM?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>
<p id=”par-6_27″>However, The Telegraph’s lip reader, who spoke with royal editor Camilla Tominey, shared what he observed William discussing with Kate that day and it wasn’t about Harry. </p>
<p id=”par-7_45″><a href=”https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8096549/Prince-William-told-Kate-theyd-need-load-hand-gel-handshakes-Commonwealth-service.html” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>The lip-reading expert told Tominey</a> that the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge was having a conversation with his wife about not being able to shake hands with people as this was in the early days of the world hearing and learning about the coronavirus. </p>
<p id=”par-8_41″>According to the Telegraph’s lip reading pro, William said to Kate: “We can’t shake hands, and we have to hold back. We will have to put loads of hand gel on afterwards. I am not used to it. It feels weird.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-body-language-expert-says-prince-harry-showed-the-most-tension-that-day”>Body language expert says Prince Harry showed the most tension that day</h2>
<p id=”par-9_22″>But it wasn’t just lip readers, other experts were also asked to weigh in to share what they observed that day. </p>
<p id=”par-10_30″>Body language and behavioral expert Judi James concluded that whether William was talking about Harry or not, the Duke of Sussex was showing plenty of emotions inside the Abbey. </p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-3″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Prince-Harry-Meghan-Markle-Prince-William-Kate-Middleton-and-now-King-Charles-attend-the-Commonwealth-Day-Service-2020-1.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince William, Kate Middleton, and now-King Charles attend the Commonwealth Day Service 2020″ class=”wp-image-3795387″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince William, Kate Middleton, and now-King Charles attend the Commonwealth Day Service 2020 | Phil Harris – WPA Pool/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-11_72″>James spoke to <a href=”https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/1660462/meghan-markle-prince-harry-william-kate-middleton-tense-moment-pictures-exclusive” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Express</a> about the familial stress she saw between the former Fab Four. She pointed out that William “sat for much of the service with his lips clamped together and slightly sucked in to suggest regret and some anxiety.” She added that Meghan managed to conceal her stress about the situation with her “perfectly-performed social smile” while “Kate’s normal perma-smile vanished and her eye-expression looked sad while her facial expression lacked animation.”</p>
<p id=”par-12_66″>The body language guru also noted that it was Prince Harry who displayed the most tension as he sat behind his brother “gazing down reflectively” with a “haunted eye expression.” James called that “his signature look at the time” and claimed that he appeared “close to tears” during the service, which suggests that there may have been a lot of sadness to go with that tension.</p>
<p id=”par-13_17″><em>Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.</em></p>