'I Thought It Was a Joke': Prince Harry Looked 'Miffed' and 'Queasy' When Meghan Markle Mocked Her Curtsy to Queen Elizabeth II
Prince Harry looked 'queasy' when Meghan Markle mocked her curtsy to Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix documentary.
Harry, Duke of Sussex, was not amused when his wife, Meghan Markle, mocked Queen Elizabeth II in Harry & Meghan.
"One of the most contentious moments, among British viewers at least, was when a smirking Meghan performed a comic repeat of her first curtsey to the queen," Robert Hardman wrote in his new book, Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story. "The queasy look of discomfort on Harry's face was that of a man all too aware of the consequences yet unable to do anything about it."
"Social media lit up once again while criticism was not confined to the usual suspects," he added. "Yet the king and the family said nothing."
The author also shared information he gathered from a friend of Prince William's who said that the heir to the throne was "hurt" by Harry's comment about royal men marrying women who "fit the mold." The inference is that the future king interpreted this as a slight against his wife, Kate, Princess of Wales.
"The clear inference that he was talking about his elder brother astonished friends of the family," Hardman wrote, before quoting William's friend who said: "'On top of all the other breaches of trust, here was Harry making a blatant attack on Catherine. For William, this was the lowest of the low.'"
But many will likely never forget when Meghan joked about the late Queen.
"And I remember we were in the car, and we were driving up, and he's like, 'You know how to curtsy, right?' And I just thought it was a joke," the Duchess of Sussex shared in Harry & Meghan.
"It's surreal. It wasn't like some big moment of like, 'Now you're going to meet my grandmother.' I didn't know I was going to meet her until moments before," she added.
At that point, the former actress then performs a pantomime, over-exaggerated-like rendition of a curtsey while laughingly sharing, "Pleasure to meet you, your Majesty."
"Prince Harry's face says it all," body language expert Jesus Enrique Rosas dished when discussing the exchange. "The first part of Harry's reaction tells me that he knew what was coming. He is serious even if Meghan is speaking quickly, joyfully but there's no connection, no empathy in him. He is serious and maybe even angry, notice what happens with his throat, he is swallowing at that moment."
"He is looking at Meghan, and he displays contempt. A split second after that, he looks away and presses his jaw. You can see the patches of red on his face are much redder — the cheeks, the bridge of the nose, the temples — it could be that he feels ashamed or angry," he added.
Despite any reservations he may have had, the Duke of Sussex went along with the production and its December 2022 release, which saw it become a huge hit for the streamer.
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Newsweek reported on Hardman's claims.
