Meghan Markle ‘vulnerable’ with Prince Harry for first public appearance since South Park

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were spotted out in Hollywood last night, eating at the exclusive restaurant San Vicente Bungalows, where a side of French fries costs $12. It’s the first time the couple has been in public since both the publication of the controversial and eye-opening autobiography Spare and the couple’s brutal treatment on the satirical cartoon South Park.

Harry and Meghan quickly ducked from their car into the restaurant, the former-actress smiling as she headed into the establishment, a members-only club that bans photos from being taken inside.

A body language expert analysed the couple’s rare appearance and suggested Meghan, 41, looks “vulnerable” after the media coverage of her husband’s book and the South Park episode, according to the body language expert’s professional opinion. The episode depicted characters based on Harry, and Meghan as going on a “Worldwide Privacy Tour”. Since the South Park episode aired, Harry and Meghan’s US approval has dropped further,

A survey conducted by market research firm Redfield & Wilton for Newsweek found Prince Harry’s US approval rating sank to hit -10 since the episode aired. Meghan’s sits at -17. Since December 2021, Harry has dropped 48 points and Markle 40, according to the poll, which was conducted on 19 February.

Judi James told Express: “Meghan’s body posture looks uncharacteristically vulnerable here. Looking undeniably stunning in her cape and pants she ducks her head and raises her purse high in a barrier ritual.

“She is, of course, arriving under an umbrella but in the past, that has rarely affected her very confident poise and body angle.”

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She went on: “Then there is the direction of gaze. Meghan is effectively smiling at the ground here, which is a signature look for A-list celebrities on the way in and out of venues.

“This seems to make her expression one produced as a social signal, i.e. to let people know that they are pleased to be there and to acknowledge any good response from the fans but without connecting with them in a more royal way.”

Harry, 38, to seems wary, according to the opinion of the body language expert. She said: “Harry’s incongruent signaling comes from the combo of the wide smile and his hand gesture.

“He has his left hand stuffed uncomfortably into his jeans pocket with his knuckles turning white as a result, suggesting his wariness of cameras might still trigger this response of a subliminal desire to hide.”

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Judi went on: “We have two body language versions of Harry and Meghan here: the ones getting out of the car, where Harry appears to flash a wary and less than welcoming glance at the cameras as Meghan sits unsmiling inside the car, and the one where they hit the air and go on-message, which is when the wide, incongruent-looking smiles are applied to suggest they are ecstatically happy and upbeat.”

Prince Harry has discussed his feelings about the paparazzi and journalists in no uncertain terms in the past. He said in his autobiography Spare: “Marrying your cousin is far less dicey than becoming a profit centre for Murdoch Inc.”

Harry and Meghan’s spokesperson denied reports the couple was thinking about suing the creators of South Park. They said of the claims: “This is baseless and boring.”