Meghan Markle's 'mock curtsy' as she recalls first meeting with Queen left Prince Harry in 'discomfort'

Harry revealed that Meghan being introduced to his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth, was a 'shock to the system'

PUBLISHED DEC 8, 2022

Meghan Markle demonstrated the curtsey she performed while meeting the late Queen Elizabeth for the first time (Netflix)

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: The Duchess of Sussex, 41, spoke candidly about what it was like meeting the late queen for the first time in the explosive Netflix series 'Harry & Meghan.' In the second episode of the six-episode-long series, Meghan Markle performs an exaggerated curtsy as she recalls the significant moment which comes off as if she is mocking the royal meeting.

According to a body language expert, the joke leaves Prince Harry showing signs of "discomfort." The expert claims that the Duke of Sussex, 38, prompts a "cut-off" gesture at the sight of Markle's "mock curtsy." The first three episodes of the show are currently streaming on Netflix and show the early days of the royal couple's romance. On that note, Harry reveals Markle meeting the late monarch was a "shock to the system" and that she was one of the first senior royals she met.

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"There wasn’t like some big moment of ‘Now you’re going to meet my grandmother’. I didn’t know I was going to meet her until moments before," Meghan said. "We were in the car and we were going to Royal Lodge for lunch, and he’s like ‘Oh, my grandmother’s here, we’re going to meet her after church.’ And I remember we were in the car driving up and he’s like ‘You know how to curtsy, right?’ And I just thought it was a joke." To which Harry responds: "How do you explain that to people? How do you explain that you bow to your grandmother? And that you will need to curtsy. Especially to an American. That’s weird."

Queen Elizabeth II sitts and laughs with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex during a ceremony to open the new Mersey Gateway Bridge on June 14, 2018 in the town of Widnes in Halton, Cheshire, England. Meghan Markle married Prince Harry last month to become The Duchess of Sussex and this is her first engagement with the Queen. During the visit the pair will open a road bridge in Widnes and visit The Storyhouse and Town Hall in Chester. — Meghan Markle performed an exaggerated curtsy as she recalled the moment when she met the late Queen for the first time (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

"Now I’m starting to realize ‘This is a big deal’. I mean, Americans will understand this… We have medieval times, dinner and tournament. It was like that," the former 'Suits' star continues. She goes on to perform an awkward and exaggerated curtsy while giggling away. "Pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty,” she says while the camera focuses on Harry.

The body language expert Judi James told Mirror that the whole scene leaves Harry suggesting his "discomfort" as he performs one telling "cut off" gesture. "Meghan is the more chatty and natural speaker during their interview and here she sits talking confidently and readily in a slightly gossipy style as though talking to a girlfriend she is keen to amuse," she told the outlet. "Her joke is self-effacing as she speaks about her curtesy when she first met the late Queen. Her smile becomes asymmetric, pulling up on one side to register a shared joke."

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Queen Elizabeth II at the Queen's Young Leaders Awards Ceremony at Buckingham Palace on June 26, 2018 in London, England. The Queen's Young Leaders Programme, now in its fourth and final year, celebrates the achievements of young people from across the Commonwealth working to improve the lives of people across a diverse range of issues including supporting people living with mental health problems, access to education, promoting gender equality, food scarcity and climate change. — Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Queen Elizabeth II at the Queen's Young Leaders Awards Ceremony at Buckingham Palace on June 26, 2018, in London (John Stillwell - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

"Harry, however, is already watching her carefully, turning to gaze at the side of her face with his own facial expression looking less turned to 'fun' than hers," the expert continues. "Meghan does an extravagant mock-curtsey that does, as she says, look Medieval. It takes her eight seconds to perform, making it a long joke but there is no change in Harry’s more serious facial expression until the end, when he lets out a small, mirthless laugh."

"As Meghan mentions ‘Your Majesty’, the direct reference to the late Queen, it does seem a small step too far for Harry who quickly drops his head down to perform a cut-off ritual that partially hides his face, suggesting some discomfort at this point," she concluded.